I Could Be The One Your Love Could Save
by KingJakeismylove
Summary: Niko Bellic is a lost man who has never really known the true meaning of family or love. It has been 9 years since his last potential real relationship with Kate, and he seems to finally be ready to start over. But his past still won't let him free, so he is involved in more crimes to help U.L Paper yet again in exchange for his freedom and legal residency.
1. Prologue

I Could Be the One Your Love Could Save

Prologue

It was really no secret to his family and friends that he was involved in a life of crime, but that didn't stop me for falling completely for him. All it really took was a couple of trips to the grocery store. It's funny how life seems to sort itself out and everything falls into place after a long stretch of turmoil. For him, his entire life up until a few years ago proved more so than others. He was Niko Bellic, an Eastern European man who has delt with the most challenging life any human has had the displeasure of living. After all the pain he has had to live, I think it was high time he had a more enjoyful life filled with happiness, love, and just him feeling comfortable in his own skin.

It was in the after glow in our passionate lovemaking, did I drift off into how I met this man. As improbable as it may seem how a "retired" criminal wound up with a girl like me seems to be a cheesy love movie. I say retired because who can really retire from being a hired hitman? Well, that's how he called it. He cut off all ties from the people who needed his services and decided that it was time for him to try to change himself. The calls, the texts, the e-mails from all buyers paying for him to erase their problems stopped, and he was a free man at last.


	2. Chapter 1

Small edit

Chapter 1

"Clean up on aisle 3"

It was a fast paced Friday afternoon. I was counting down the time at work, so I can officially start the weekend. Like any clock at a job, time seemed to go backwards, and the face of the clock was laughing at my impatience. I recieved a text message from my mother to stop off at the store and pick up a few things for my cousin's birthday party. I simply replied "K" as a way to confirm that I read the message. My mother then sent me a long winded message of things she needed from the store. I read through the text and replied a simple "K" again.

It was 1:55 pm, and I began to get excited. This party was going to be just the therapy I need after a long week of being short staffed at the retirement home. Yet again, another call off, and no matter what I did, it seemed I was working an uphill battle all day. I recieved text from my cousin a minute later asking me if I was coming to the party, and I replied "Yes." I could practically hear the excitement as he feverishly replied "Hells yeah." I checked my phone one last time, and finally, 2 o'clock. Time to boggie on out. I flew down the staircase, clocked out, and I felt the wind of the summer day. It seemed to almost speak to me "You're free!" I started the car, and I was off to the store. I looked at my phone again to read the text my mother sent me. As I drove, I popped on some of my favorite music to really get the weekend vibes going. I cranked it up and nearly blasted my speakers. Anyone around my car was probably yelling at me to turn it down, but I couldn't hear a word they were saying. I was in the weekend mood, and I was really letting everyone know I was done taking orders.

The grocery store seemed to be packed with people getting last minute items, and the weekend party theme was all about birthdays. At least six other people were planning to go to so-and-so's birthday party. It was beautiful weather for one. A perfect 75 degrees, sunny, and not a rain cloud in sight. Your perfect weekend weather. I darted around the aisles looking for a few things off the list, and I came upon a familiar aisle. I am a frequent visitor to the "sexual items" shelf. I think to myself I need more lubricant for my funtime toys. I sift through a few warming gels and toss them into the little basket I had. Satisfied with all of the list items in check, plus a few extra things for myself, I head for the check-out line. But as soon as I left the aisle, I crashed into a man and all of my things flew from the basket. I hit the floor and so did he, along with a few seething expletives nobody should hear. I sat up and looked at the man as he rubbed the back of his head. Onlookers in the store kept to their own business for they had their own things to do. The man looked at me and quickly got to his feet before I realized what had happened. He extended his hand and offered his apology.

"I didn't mean to knock you over. Please allow me to help you up."

As I wondered what accent he had, he took my hand and stood me up. I inwardly marveled at his strength. This guy had to work out or something because I was a heavy girl.

"You're not hurt, are you?" He questioned.

"No. I'm okay. I'm sure I'll have a lump on my head, but I'll be fine."

"I really am sorry, I shouldn't have been running. I was only coming in here for a few things for my cousin's birthday party."

See? Another birthday party.

"No. It's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. I've had more serious wounds than this."

As I had the thought to ask him what he meant, he looked to the floor and began helping me gather all my groceries.

"No. Please, I can get it. You go on and get what you were looking for." I bent down and helped him.

His hands found the warming gel, and I turned hotter than the blazing sun from embarrassment. He glanced at the small tube and grinned.

"Got some fun planned with your boyfriend tonight, don't you?"

I remained silent before I answered a little too honestly. He didn't really need to know that was for myself.

"Uh, I don't have a boyfriend." I said

"That's too bad. I bet he'd enjoy using this on you."

That's when I thought I nearly had an orgasm at the stranger's suggestive tone. His accent was thick and exotic. And something about his deep voice made his comment a thousand times hotter than it really needed to be.

"I'm sure he would." I kicked the ground with a disappointment that we were talking about a guy that didn't exist.

"Well, that looks like all of your things, except this." He dropped the tube into my basket.

"Have a good weekend, and let's hope you don't run into anyone else today, huh?"

"Yeah. Sure." I half intelligently said. Something about his dark appearance, his hazel eyes, his well after 5 o'clock shadow, and that buttery smooth voice paired with that uncommon accent really made me almost completely forget why the hell I was even at the grocery store.

He waved his goodbye, and I raised my hand back to him. I reached for my phone and texted my friend what had just happened.

Oh my God, Brittany. I just literally ran into one of the most gorgeous man I've ever met!

A few minutes later came her reply of something smart assed.

Was it that guy you like from that band?

I snorted a laugh and began to describe the mystery man through the text. I put the phone away and continued my check-out.

As I'm driving to my cousin's party, I am thinking of the one that got away. I had thirty minutes alone to myself, and my mind drifts a little with that much alone time. And currently, my mind drifted off into a scenario involving the man I literally knew nothing about, except for the fact he had a cousin. It involved he and I in rhythmic lovemaking that was too vivid to comprehend. It gave my mind something to think about as I am driving to this party. I had to stop thinking this way, or I'd never make it. I could hear it now:

"Why didn't you come to my party, Sharon? You said you'd be there."

"Sorry, something came up." Double entendre fully meant.

I arrive at the party a little after 4 o'clock, and everyone wondered why I took so long to get there. It was only a half an hour drive. What the hell, Sharon? I explained what happened, everyone's faces suggested he was a thief trying to steal my wallet or whatever.

"No. I still have everything."

"Nothing is missing? Your credit card? Your money?"

It's nice to think that people think the best of people.

"No. He seemed really nice, and he helped me pick up my stuff. He asked me if I was okay and told me to have a good weekend."

"Are you okay? It seemed like you fell pretty hard the way you tell it."

"A little bump, but I'm okay."

"But that couldn't have taken more than a few minutes."

"Well, I stopped at Grandma's plot before I came to say hi to her. I see she got her headstone. It looks nice."

That seemed to fill in that time. I really did go visit my grandmother's grave, but mostly I had to stop somewhere to clear my head of the attractive stranger that had spread to every corner of my mind. And still was.

The party was enjoyed by all, and many people were ready to leave. Especially me. After a strange day, I think it was time to me to indulge myself in some alone time. My mind was steaming and buzzing with unknown-by-the-family lust.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Groundhog's Day movie"

It couldn't have gotten any worse at work. The stress was getting to me, and I nearly thought about walking off with my finger in the air, but it didn't come to that. It was a week after the incident in the grocery store, and once again, my mother texted me to get a few things for diner tonight. I texted my disgruntled responce only to have my mother text me back with a list yet again and an unspoken command of 'Do it'. So, I begrudgingly drove to the store again, looking for the things on the list and checking them off as I went along. I head to the electronic section and browse through the CD's and found their new album. I silently congratulate myself for remembering to get it because, come on, they are my favorite!

I was looking at the back of the CD at all the songs I couldn't wait to hear when I ran into someone. We both hit the floor with that same seething expletive nobody should hear coming from a male voice.. Familiarity set in as I looked up and the same guy, sitting on the floor with the most complete look of utter disbelief on his face.

"I hope we don't keep meeting like this." He said with a chuckle.

This time I stand up on my own and believe this man is stalking me. Who'd want to stalk me?! I don't need this in my life.

"I am sorry, I should really pay attention to where I am walking. It was my fault this time." I reach out to him to help him up. He grabs my hand, and I manage to lift him up.

"You're strong. I thought I'd pull you down to the floor with me."

"Well, you gotta be tough with the job I do." I blurt out. Great. Now he must think I am some barbarian woman. And I kind of didn't want him to know what I do to try and stalk me. I try and ease away from the topic, but he quickly asked,

"Oh? What is it you do?"

"I, uh,"

His phone rang before I could try and make up a lie on the spot. Good, the caller bought me more time to make this elaborate fool-proof lie.

"Yeah, cousin. I am looking right now...The band is called what now?...What kind of name is that?...Sounds pretty stupid to me... Yeah, tell Mallorie I'll get her some diapers for Mila...Okay...Oka-...Okay, cousin... I'll see you in a while." He hung up on his caller.

"Do you know this band by chance? My cousin loves this band, and they released a new album today." He showed me his phone screen with the band name in his text.

"Yeah. It's these guys." I show him the CD I had. That's the one thing that didn't go flying out of my hand.

"Oh, cool. So, you like them too, huh?"

"Duh? They are a great band. You should listen to them."

"I pretty much called them stupid to a fan on them. Sorry about that."

"It's all good. Everyone has their own taste in music."

"Where did you get that?"

I pointed to the end cap with a bunch of their CD's and walked away as he went to get a copy.

"Hey, wait. Do you mind playing a few of their songs on your phone? I want to hear what they sing."

I expertly pull out my phone with a sort of smug look on my face that kind of gave him the impression I am the biggest fan of their music in the known universe, and coincidentally, I had one of their tracks on the current track. I held my phone to his ear mainly to drown out the horrible music the grocery store was playing, the background conversation, and screaming children and totally NOT just a reason to get close to him, to try and identify his cologne, or feel his warmth, or to feel how chiseled his body is.

He nodded his head to the music as it came to the chorus.

"These guys sound pretty good. Better than the shit my one friend listens to."

"And what would that be?" I found myself asking, prodding around his life to see what he does and what friends he has.

"Some electro-dancehall-techno-screachy music. It gives me a headache everytime I have to hear it."

"So, your friend parties at those clubs?"

"Oh no. He is just a major DJ at some weird sketchy backyard building."

I caught the sarcasm in his voice. He didn't mention anything else about his friend. He took my phone though, and for that very second, I thought he'd turn and burn with my cell phone, remembering what my mother said a week ago. Instead, he hit the "next track" and more of their music played. He cupped my phone around his ear and glanced around at various objects, forming an opinion on the music.

"Not bad. I like the beat of this one."

"What one is that one?"

He held out my phone, and I saw the track name. It was my favorite song by them. I failed at keeping my composure when thinking this handsome guy liked the same song I did when I dropped the CD I had. He handed me my phone back and picked up what my butterfingers dropped. He smiled at me at my clumsiness, and yet again, his phone rang again.

"What is it now, cousin?"

I tried to fine tune my hearing to hear the conversation and what could his cousin could be so impossibility impatient for to ruin this moment for me.

"Yeah, Roman. I found the CD for you...This girl I ran into inside likes them too. She helped me find the album...No, what do you mean?...No! She's not my girlfriend! I don't even know her." He mouthed the word 'Sorry' and pulled his phone away from his ear while his cousin blabbered on about who knows what.

"You'll have to excuse my cousin. He has this disorder where talks without thinking."

"That's too bad." I say with disappointment.

"Yeah. It's called Major Stupidity Disorder or MSD."

That had me laughing uncontrollably which, in turn, made him laugh. He brought the phone back up to his ear.

"Yeah...Yeah...Roman, yeah...diapers for Mila...Look, Roman, I gotta let you go. I'm losing you...". He made a shhhhhh sound, indicating that he just lost the cell phone service he had perfectly until now.

"Look, guy. I gotta get home. My mom is cooking diner tonight, and I had a bad day at work." I say stepping away.

"Got a hot date with that warming lubricant?"

Most women would have been slightly to moderately upset at this statement. Me, on the other hand, seemed to not be bothered in the slightest. It seems this man has actually done it. He made a friend before even knowing their name. I was already comfortable around him.

"Well, I was hoping someone would accompany me in using this." I must have caught that MSD from that Roman guy.

His phone rang again. He looked at the screen of his phone, and a new look sprawled over his face. The look of anger. As he answered the phone, his demeanor changed completely. He was no longer a happy go lucky guy. And his conversation only seemed to only consist of one word. Yes.

"Sorry. I actually gotta go too. I have an arr-angement."

"Hey, no prob-"

He walked away, leaving me to wonder who called him to change his attitude so quickly.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Mysterious Mr. Perfect"

This week proved to be a little more tolerable. Things were looking up ever since I met my European Mystery Friend. Ever since that day in the store, I've been thinking of him nonstop. And I didn't have a whole lot of information about him. I also have been listening to my favorite song almost twenty out of the twenty four hours. I kept thinking what he told me about it. I almost wanted to go to the store and see if he was there getting things.

I actually had an off day from work and planning on doing some serious hard work resting the day away, but I received a text message from my friend.

You never did tell me about that guy you ran into three weeks ago. What was his name?

I realized I never asked his name, mainly because I didn't simply ask, and also, he was simply too handsome for me. I responded moments later pretending I was doing something besides slacking off.

You know, I never did ask him, but I ran into him last week about the same time. Weird?

Is he a creeper?

I then thought about my answer. What if he was? It was kind of odd how it happened twice. I began to get curious to see if it would happen again.

Why would you think that? He is from another country. Maybe that's how people in his country meet. By literally running into each other?

There was a long time until I recieved another text from her. In that time, I decided to see if it would happen a third time. I got dressed and headed out the door. I made up a grocery list and parked my car when I got there. I all too hastily walked to the store, grabbed a little shopping basket and walked around for a while, pretending to shop. Then the reply came.

I don't think that's how anyone greets one another. Btw, do you want to come over this weekend? We are having a cookout if you want to come.

Finally, a real reason to go shopping!

Sure! Do you want me to bring anything?

Her reply told me to bring beer and chips, so I added them to my list.

On and on I shopped. I think I lost track of time. Last time I checked my phone, it was about 2 o'clock.

It was now 4 o'clock. Two hours! I went shopping for two hours, and all I have in my basket is a loaf of bread, which I didn't even have on my list. I guess he wasn't here this time. Of course, it had to be coincidence. I finished up shopping and headed to the check-out. From there, I went to my car. I heard a car horn blaring behind me, and I told him to screw off. I think he heard me as I heard a car door close. I got scared and closed my door. Who said that? Wasn't me. Honestly.

Then there was a knock at my window.

The familiar face of my handsome European somehow found it's way back into my line of sight. I blushed slightly as he smiled.

"Nice car." He said rather appreciatively. "Declasse Merit, right?"

"Yeah, it's not all that impressive. I see what you're driving. That's one sexy looking Infernus." And one sexier man driving it.

"Well, you know. I guess I wanted to impress some chicks with it. Get me some young college girls with fake titties."

That comment irked me. Here I am, doing what I think to be flirting with him, and he'd rather get some easy girl who'd say yes to the first guy with a dollar. I tried to hide the frustration on my face.

"Do you want to check it out? I know you are more than itching to see it."

"How do I know you won't screw me and hide me in a ditch somewhere?" I snapped.

"Whoa, chill out. I was only kidding about what I said. I'm not like that."

Who does he take me for?

"Prove it, buddy. I barely know you, then you ask me to hop in your car?"

"These are dark times indeed when people can't trust one another."

"Have you seen the news lately? Some guy killed another guy last week in cold blood. There was no witnesses and the killer is on the loose."

He looked off somewhere in the parking lot. Something wasn't right with him.

"Okay. I'm sorry I was a dick. I'm really not that bad of a guy. I just do what I need to do."

I have no idea what that meant. He really is a totally different guy from a few weeks ago.

"Look, who ever you are, what are you all about?"

"Oh, here's my song. Turn it up a little." He heard the song from my radio.

It was really getting awkward now. He's dodging all of my questions. I turn off my radio and step out to look him in the eye. He stepped back a little I noticed. If he was really dangerous, he'd try and hurt me. He's keeping his space from me.

"I think we started off on the wrong foot. I really think we should start entirely over. Maybe get a coffee or something. I'll give you my number. We can hang out sometime. To be honest, you seem pretty cool, and I'd like to get to know you a lot more than just the girl I keep running into at the store."

That really caught me off guard. Did he actually ask me to hang out with him? He's a stranger for crying out loud! He could have dark intentions later on for me, he could have a house full of corpses, he probably doesn't even have a cousin named Roman! That's probably his pet name for his dog that is the neighborhood terror!

All that irrationality flew out of my head as I gave him my phone. He typed in his number and saved it under a strange name. "Grocery store stalker lol"

I pondered why he did that and looked at him. He had a goofy smile on him.

"Text or call me if you want to hang out or something." He nodded his goodbye again and went into the store.

Damn it. I forgot to ask his name again. The phone number, stupid. Text him and ask him what his name is!

I fiddled around with my phone and began to type my question. However, I didn't hit send yet. I thought out my actions first. I don't want to text him right away. I don't want to sound so easy. I think I'll give it a day or two and text him back. Besides, I have a party to attend this weekend, and I don't want to be thinking of him at the party. I saved the message and headed home, but not before checking out his fire red car. It really looked cool, and I wondered how much it costed. Holy crap! Is he rich!? There's no way a guy loaded with cash is interested in me. Dream perchance, I guess.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Stranger Danger"

I decided it was time to finally text the mysterious European. Whether or not he decided to respond was entirely up to him. I selected the draft message I composed for him the other day, and I wanted more out of him.

Hey, it's the girl you keep running into at the grocery store. I am sorry. I really need to know more about you before I actually hang out with you. You seem pretty nice. You really do, but can you fill me in on you a little bit before I chill with you?

It seemed like a logical reason to want to know more about someone before doing any sort of anything with someone. He was pretty forward in really wanting to get to know me. Then again, maybe he doesn't know anyone here. He probably just got here in America and recognized a friendly face. I felt a little guilty when I saw that he recieved the text. His reply was currently being typed, and I could tell this was going to be a very long, multi-text bubble text. He was typing for about five minutes, and my phone dinged. I think he had to think about his reply before he he replied.

I'd rather just tell you in person. There is a lot to tell.

I was put on the spot. His counter offer was on the table. My phone dinged again.

How about coffee at my place?

Holy crap! I really don't know what to say. I'd hate to hurt his feelings. What if he actually has no friends? Well, except for the one he mentioned, but what if he really isn't a friend? He just tolerates him because he can't find friends here in America? I had to think about my reply without hurting his feelings and keep my saftey in mind. This is like playing with fire. I could get burned, or I could feel the warmth. If you know what I mean.

I sent a neutral reply, telling him we should meet up somewhere else like a coffee shop where atleast there are other people and most importantly cameras.

What I have to tell you about myself could get me in trouble if heard by the wrong ears.

Came his cryptic reply. Now I was worried. But I figured I got this far with him, why not see it through till the end. He seems like he trusts me with everything he is going to say.

Alright, we'll do it your way. What day and time? I will need to know where you live, too.

His reply came an hour later. I wondered why the long delay.

I live in an apartment near the park. Can you make it this Saturday at 10am? I don't have anything planned that day actually. I'll wait for you outside.

Damn it. The party this weekend. I'd hate to tell him I can't, so I quickly said I had plans later. I replied to him if we can move it to 9 instead of 10.

Sure. I'll see you then.

I'm not sure, but his reply had a little excitement and a little bit of anticipation. Maybe it's just me.

Btw, my name is Niko. Niko Bellic. :)

Finally! A name to the face! And is that a smiley face in his text? Okay. He really is excited to be using emojis. And it's kinda cute.

The rest of the week went by in a blur. There is a saying, 'After Monday and Tuesday, there is WTF, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.' And what a WTF three days it was. Friday being the most anticipated day ever. That being because Saturday I finally get to hear what Niko Bellic is all about. I tried social media to try and stalk him and see what he posts, but there is nothing on him. Making sure I knew what to expect is knowing the difference between being in a ditch or finally getting the guy. I looked up his cousin's social media page, and saw that he is also from Eastern Europe. Serbia to be exact. And Roman does know a little Serbian. He came to America to chase his 'American Dream'. It seems as though he has. He runs a cab depot, he is married to a girl named Mallorie, and they share a baby daughter named Mila. Niko's trip to the store that day did add up. He was shopping for Mila, which is simply adorable. He must be a very proud uncle. And baby Mila is too cute for words. There is a precious family photo as Roman's wallpaper on his page of him, sitting very happily next to Mallorie, and Mila sitting in Roman's lap. Very picturesque. I do find a photo of Niko drinking some beer with some girl, but she isn't made a mention of. In this photo, Niko looks happy sitting next to this girl. Maybe an ex-girlfriend? Then I wonder how long was Niko actually living here in America? Months? Years? I dunno. I check the post date. It was posted eleven months ago at the local pub. I look at the time and see it is 9 pm. Time to face the music tomorrow. I charge my phone and make special note to make sure I bring my phone charger. I want my phone fully charged for the unpredictable day.

The sun rose up on a Saturday morning. I woke up at 7 am to give myself ample time to get ready and wear my favorite band t shirt and a comfortable pair of shorts. Today's high temperature is supposed to be 85 degrees. A little too hot for me, but I'll manage. I grab what I need and my keys. I type in Niko's address into the GPS and start my journey. Every minute I drive, I can feel my heart beating faster. But I plan on seeing this through. Otherwise, if I chicken out, I'll spend the rest of my days saying what if? The need to have my questions answered is fueling me to see this to the end. I pull up to the park where Niko mentioned and took a look at the apartment building. It was a ten story apartment. On the small side, but I'm sure his reasoning is because he is single (I think), and he doesn't need a massive apartment to house himself. The area is pretty ritzy. People wearing flashy clothes. Perhaps I am a bit underdressed? Oh well. I get glances from the hoity toity pedestrians. I just press on to his apartment. I don't see him outside. I looked at the address on the building, and it matched the address he gave me. I worried for a few minutes that I am in the wrong area. I sit down on the step outside and look at the time. 8:35? Perhaps I was a little too anxious to meet him properly. I guess I sped. Oops.

I start up my silly location based game and look around at what's nearby. Oh, I don't have that one yet. Let me head over there and get it.

"You still play that children's game?" I heard a male voice followed by a chuckle.

"And what If I do? It's not-"

I realize it's Niko. I turn red. Yup. I am way underdressed. He has on the most flattering tuxedo. The black jacket and red tie really brought out his eyes. And those pants did nothing to hide that buldge. I can't believe my eyes traveled that far south, but I was taking him all in by my eyes. I was practically undressing him with my eyes too.

"Good morning. You're early. I thought I was the over anxious one. Here you are twenty minutes early to meet a guy you don't know about." He said chuckling.

"And what time did you wake up to get all jazzed up like that? I feel so underdressed." I threw my hands up in the air

"Well, when you live in this area, the fashion rubs off on you. I woke up at 5 this morning."

"How are you so chipper? I wake up that early to go to work, and I am basically dragging my ass around until 11."

"I wake up about 5 every morning. And I really don't have a job like you. Habits never die, I guess."

He can't be this cheerful this early in the morning. There is no conceivable way. Wait, he doesn't have a job? How is this possible? He has an expensive sports car, he has an expensive tailored tuxedo, and he has an expensive apartment. Did he win the lottery and retire early?

"Where did you park? I bought you a parking pass closer to the building if you're interested."

The car horns blaring and pedestrians chattering amongst one another soon errupted. It was the 9 am traffic jam. People leaving for work, coming home from work, and the goings on in the city seemed to turn the volume up. Niko urged me inside where it was quiet, so he didn't have to talk over all the noise.

"I parked near the park, ironically."

He laughed at my lame excuse for a joke.

"Give me your keys. I'll move it in the garage next to my car. You can trust me."

"Against my better judgement..." I trailed off, giving him the keys. He disappeared outside to find my car. I waited in the lobby of the apartment building. It was about ten minutes later, Niko came back with my car keys. I was invisibly shocked he didn't steal it. But reasoning set in. Why would he want to steal my car when he drives that flashy sports car?

"I like your car. She handles like a dream."

I'm not sure why he liked it so much. His car was ten times the car mine will ever be. Maybe because he likes to be nice? Flatter much, Niko?

"You never told me your name. I've been dying to hear it. Such a beautiful face has to have a name to match it."

That's when I about fainted. I was in a deep daze. I don't remember walking up to the elevator, or even paying attention to his apartment number. He just gently sat me down on a rather large black couch, and I sat.

I heard churning and bubbling noises coming from what I assumed to be his kitchen. He came back monents later with two cups of coffee.

"I wasn't sure what you take in your coffee, so I brought little creamer and sugar packets."

I realized I was alone in his apartment. His apartment! Alone!

"Welcome back." He smiled.

"How?"

"You spaced out there when I asked you your name. I guess you never met a gentleman?".

"Not like you. Sure I met guys who'd hold open doors, or hold my whatever I don't feel like holding at that monent, but not like you."

"I am a dying breed. Almost extinct. It's pretty alarming that women are falling for douchebags who don't appreciate feminine beauty."

"So, that's what this is all about?"

"Not entirely."

"I think you have fallen for me. But how? You don't even know who the hell I am! And same for me to you."

"Leave it to fate to decide. So, tell me. What's your name?"

I sheepishly look away. He's got my head swimming. For a moment, I didn't even know my name.

"Sharon." I think.

"Ah, you got a little Irish in you?" He tried his best at his Irishmen accent. What he sounded like was nothing of the sort.

"No. I am acutally a lotta things."

"You're only one thing to me. Beauty personified."

I can't take it anymore. My head must have completely detatched from my shoulders and drifted off in to space or somewhere out of reach of reality. My next action stunned even me. I kissed him! I actually kissed him. And not a quickie either. He parted his lips against mine, and I sampled his flavor. It was intoxicating. He leaned back on the couch, and I crawled over him. He let me control the kiss, so I could get this off my chest. If I didn't watch it, there'd be a lot more coming off my chest.

I let him up for some air. I actually left him breathless. He let out a small moan after, and his eyebrows shot up in a delayed surprise.

"Glad that happened." He said.

"Me too. You actually may not know this, but you were on my mind the whole time since we literally ran into each other. Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah, but, uh...I too have a confession to make. I really did fall for you too that day. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but something about you..." He trailed off

I can't even remember the last time I heard a man confess his feelings so openly. He was practically an open book. The letters and pages spilled out of his eyes.

"I must warn you though. There is a dark side of me I don't think you want to know. I feel I should tell you for your safety."

I knew it! He is a mass murderer. Instead of turning to flee, I stupidly sat and waited for his next move.

"I have a black mark on my name that I am trying to omit from my life. There was a time back when I was young that I wanted nothing to become a great man. That all was a dream, and reality came and slapped me in the face. I was sent to war. Myself and fifteen boys from the village sent to war. Most of us barely in our teen years. I was the youngest of the squad. Come to find out our squad was sent on a mission only to be betrayed by one of our own. It was a setup for money. From that moment, I realized I was only meant to find the one who betrayed us. Only three of us survived the attack. I took odd jobs here and there working with some less than savory people. For ten years I searched, and my searching brought me here to America. When I found the first, he told me he wasn't the one. My search came up dry, and for months, my motive and drive was slipping away. Each day I waited took me farther away from seeking closure, but every night when I went to sleep, all I heard was the voices of the squad urging me on to find him. All I wanted to know was why he did it. I finally got a tip saying they foung the man I was looking for. When the time came, I found myself face to face with the man who sold out our squad. He did it for $1,000 American dollars. It was just to fund his drug addiction. I couldn't find the strength to pull the trigger on my gun to kill him. After all this time, after all the sleepless nights and long day hours, I found that he was slowly killing himself with his drug addiction. I found no satisfaction in killing him then and there. After all that wasted effort..."

As he told me this, I realized that he really was a broken man. He just needed comfort. I watched him spill his guts out. I realized too that he had nothing. He had a nice apartment with upscale furnishings, but he had no pictures of memories. It seemed like he wanted to make memories of his own. Trying to erase what past he had, and tried to start all over. I found myself scooting closer to him, taking his head to my chest, and tried to console him.

"I had no idea the turmoil inside your head, Niko. Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"How can I? When I first saw you, I wanted nothing to stand in my way to get to you. You were shopping for the weekend. I watched from afar. It may seem creepy to you, but as you were there with me in that same building, something called to me. It beckoned to me to approach you. I was going to talk to you that very minute you came around that corner, but instead we bumped into each other." He let out a small laugh.

"Let fate decide, eh?" I chuckled.

"I never would have known you at all if fate hadn't stepped in. I believe everything happens for a reason. Good and the bad."

"I can see where this is going." I said as I braced myself for what was to come.

"The reason why I didn't want to be in public for this meeting is because I am the one responsible for killing that guy a few weeks ago. I am a hired gun. That's how I am able to afford all of this. But I don't want this anymore. I actually never did. This was all bought with the blood of my victims. I want a normal life. I want to throw all of this away. I am done with this. I want to break out of this dungeon!"

It's really ironic how he can call this upscale bachelor pad a dungeon. I guess he really didn't want this life style. Still, I sat there listening to him. I found him interesting.

"You're the one to help me out of this place. I am not happy here. There is nothing but cold walls and emptiness. I want a place I can call home with someone I can love and she can love me for me. I don't want this fake life. I want the American Dream. My American Dream!"

He sounded on the verge of hysteria. And I can't blame him. He was right. This apartment he had was not giving him happiness. His walls were bare, his atmosphere was lonely, and his home was not a home. A man caged in his own apartment pleading with me to take him away.

"What is your American Dream, Niko?"

Just then, a phone call. Damn the inappropriate timing. The look on his face was hurt and remorse. He stood up and took the call in another room. I heard his muffled voice from his bedroom.

"I told you, I don't want to do this anymore. I am not killing anymore. I'm out...Fuck you... Don't you dare bring her into this!... She's out of the question!...No one fucks with my family!..."

It was a while later until he emerged from his bedroom. He had a miserable look on his face as he sat heavily on the couch next to me. I only looked at him waiting for his next move.

"Can you take me away from here?" He asked eyes pleading with mine.

"I can't. I don't know how. I never broke a law in my life, and you're asking me to take you away?"

He inched closer to me. I didn't stop him. I could feel his breath on my lips. The need to have him close to me was not being fulfilled by a long stretch. His desire matched mine, maybe it was more. His desire to finally be loved. I closed my eyes, giving him the idea that I trusted him. Some might argue a little too much for being who he is. But sometimes gambles are risky, and he was a risk worth taking.

He slanted his head, and physically told me with his body that he loved me. His kiss was so soft and patient. Like the world stopped just for us, and everything else never mattered. His taste was like nothing I've ever had. His lips were like velvet, and my mind was screaming more. However, he broke off the kiss and stared very deep into my eyes. He wanted to see a reaction or something from me that told him I loved him too. But I waited. I waited to get to know him more. I wanted to know what was up with him getting involved in criminal life in the first place. How did he sink so low as to take lives of people just because he was paid to do so? Did he have any remorse or show any sympathy towards his victim? How many people has he killed? More importantly, how many people wanted him dead? It seemed like he has drug me into his life now, as the conversation he had suggested. Was I the 'she' he was talking about? So many things I wanted to know from him, but they all vanished as he kissed me again. Sliding his tongue into my mouth, he conveyed me to join him in his mouth, where I can taste him more fully. He was so yielding as I twisted my tongue around his. They seemed to be dancing together in his mouth. I felt a rush of wetness, and he seemed to pick up on that when he lifted himself without breaking the kiss. He positioned himself above me, and in some unlust filled corner of my mind, there was the idea of him wanting to plunge into me. I broke apart his kiss, leaving him confused and the question of him doing something wrong was written over his face.

"It's not you, it's me. Niko, I am not ready for this. Far from it. When I am ready, I will tell you."

He sat on top of me, which to my suprise, he didn't crush me.

"I'm so sorry. I really am. I just can't help it."

His sincere apology nearly ripped right through me in its genuinity. I involved myself in his life now. There was no turning back.

"What was that phone call about?"

He stared blankly into me for a minute. Then stood up and started pacing in front of me. He placed his hands on his head as if his brain was trying to ooze out of his skull. I watched him do this as his way of regaining some composure. It seems like he's had a limited supply all his life.

"She told me to leave it, and I did. I left it. But it came back to me. I wanted to leave it." His rambling signaled to me a sense of desperation and wanting to have some sort of stability in his life. I watched him pace back and forth not knowing what he was talking about.

"Niko, stop." I pulled his jacket sleeve to grab his attention. Thankfully he did stop, but he continued to ramble on.

"Niko!" This time I pulled him down onto the couch. His mania was slowly getting to him, when just an hour ago he was calm and collected.

His phone rang again. He didn't answer this time after looking at the caller. His eyes found mine again, and they screamed out.

"What can I do to help you? Tell me how."

"Get me out of here. Take me away from this place. It is consuming me."

"Who keeps calling you?"

He took his phone out of his pocket. He prompted me to search through all his call records. It was mostly from the same person. He's had atleast fifty phone calls already.

"I told you I wake up at 5 am, but only because of these damn phone calls."

"Change your phone number." I suggested simply.

"I tried that. Someone out there knows my new number each time I change."

His phone rang again. This time he answered.

"Roman, what's up?"

His responce was unexpectedly cheerful despite just having poured out his heart.

"I'm not doing anything special right now. What time did you want to meet up?"

Wait a minute. Not doing anything special? What was the hour of pure disparity all about? He wasn't making any sense.

"Hey listen, cousin... I have someone with me. Do you care if I bring her out to eat with us?...Great...No, she's not a girlfriend... Yet...Okay, cousin. I'll see you and Mallorie soon."

He terminated his phone call. He glanced at me for a moment and actually smiled. Is he really this unstable to go from one mood to another?

"Are you hungry? My cousin and his wife want to go out for breakfast."

"I really didn't bring any money with me. I thought it was just going to be you and me. I thought you were going to tell me more about yourself."

"There is plenty of time for that. And I can pay for you. I have all this money, and nobody to spend it on. I want to pamper someone."

"I'm confused, Niko. Are you looking to get away from this, or not? A few moments ago, you sounded like you didn't like this rich lifestyle, and now you want to spend it on me."

"It's not like I am going to spend my life savings on you. We're just going out to eat. Are you in or not?" He held out his hand, inviting me along for his wild ride of a life.

I paused for a moment. I still kept thinking: What if he is the one? This question is what was pressing me on.

I slowly extend my hand with all the good reasons in the world to go with him, but there is one big reason to not.

"I will protect you."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"New meetings and greetings"

In hindsight, I should have turned away from him. I should have ran while I could. But if he reached out to me for help, I am not really one to refuse. Especially if he could be the one I've been waiting for. All the men I have been with were all dead end roads in the long run. I hope this time he was different.

He decided to change out of his tuxedo and put on something a little more loose and comfortable. He cast aside the business man look for something more down to Earth. He wore a plain white t shirt and a pair of jeans. It was a humid midmorning, and I suggested he wear something a little less heavy than the jeans. He smiled at me and told me he'd be fine.

"You don't mind if we take your car, do you? Yours seems to be more practical. Gas prices are absurdly high, and I get about five miles per gallon with my car. I'll give you gas money."

There he goes. Giving out his money again. I decline his offer politely, and tell him it is not necessary.

"Shall we go?" He cued me out of his apartment. He locked the door behind me, and we headed out to my car.

"I'll drive. I know where it is."

He certainly likes my car. If I didn't know better, it was like he was test driving it.

And then it happened. His newfound favorite song came on the radio, and he blasted it.

"I have been listening to this song over and over since you got me hooked on it." He shouted over the radio.

The city almost echoed with the radio from my car. I think people in space were able to pinpoint our location.

This time, my phone rang. I turned off the radio to talk with the caller.

"Hello?...Oh damn it... I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. I can't make it to your party later...Well, one thing lead to another...I am actually-...Yeah...That guy...He is really nice..."

Niko was for sure paying attention. I knew he knew this conversation was about him.

"Caller, this is Niko Bellic." He spoke at a distance. "You can be rest assured I'll take care of your friend. Please let us enjoy our date."

I swear, I almost flushed a vibrant red. A date?! Niko is calling this a date?! I thought this was just us hanging out.

"Niko!" I screeched in embarrassment. "This isn't a date!"

I think I heard his heart break. He didn't give it away though. He was rather calm about it. I said goodbye and hung up before something else was said.

"Niko. This isn't a date. I thought we were just hanging out. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"That's fine. No harm done. I was just kidding."

He handed me his phone, and there was a text.

"Can you reply to that? It's Roman. Tell him we've hit a patch of traffic, but we'll be there in a few minutes."

Roman's reply came as we pulled up to the diner. It was a small diner on the corner. A mom and pop place surrounded by skyscraper buildings. It was almost comical how out of place it was.

"This is it. Hopefully Roman saved us a table." He said, closing the door and locking it.

"Niko. Wait a minute." I shyly stopped in front of my car.

He picked up on my distress.

"Don't worry. My cousin Roman and his wife will love you. They are good people."

"Are they rich like you? Snooty and judgemental?"

"Absolutely not. If anything, we will be judged by others. But we won't care. Right? The rich man doesn't have what we have."

With that vote of confidence, we pushed on through the door. Roman and Mallorie did save us a booth in the back. Atleast whatever these big time buisnessmen will say and think about us will not be heard back here.

"My cousin! It's so good to see you! How long has it been since family got together like this?"

Roman gave Niko a hug when we got back to the booth.

"It's been a while, Roman. How are you, Mallorie?"

"Hey, Niko. It's good to see you. You look good! Been keeping in shape?" She had a Spanish accent. It was a weird combination. A Serbian man and a Spanish woman? I wonder how these two met.

"Niko, this must be your friend."

"Yes. This is Sharon. She and I met a few weeks ago with a strange story."

We took our seats in the booth along with Mallorie and Roman. I noticed Niko wanted to sit on the outside. I didn't think too much into it. He sat really close to me too. I could feel his body heat.

The waitress came and took our orders. I ordered a coffee and Niko followed. Our coffee back at Niko's apartment kinda went cold. Niko and Roman caught up on their goings on. Roman mainly talked because he and Mallorie have their baby to talk about. Mila is with Mallorie's cousin for the day. Roman told Niko she's beginning to crawl and is getting a little more adventurous. With baby adventure comes mischief. Niko remained attentive to Roman's stories, and from time to time, he'd sneak a look at me. The entire time we were at the restaurant, Niko held my hand in his lap, listfully rubbing mine with his thumb. The need to maintain physical body contact was a little too much for him. He even operated his phone with his other hand never breaking our touch. I could tell he has fallen for me. How dare I say this wasn't a date. It practically was the way he acted. There was nothing platonic about the way we kissed earlier either. That was my fault. I let my emotions get the best of me.

The waitress brought our checks and Niko serched his wallet to pay. He slapped some money on the table for a tip and went to the cash register.

"Niko, I'm gunna go to the ladies room." I didn't have to go, but I needed to gather myself. I needed advice.

Hey, Brittany. This guy I am with, it seems pretty serious. He thinks we are on a date even though he said he was joking. Do you have any advice?

I put my phone in my pocket and pretended to use the bathroom. I walked out, and there he waited, playing some game on his phone.

"Are you ready to go? Roman and Mallorie left. They had to go get Mila."

"Yeah. We can go. Is there anything to do in this city?"

"I was hoping we go back to my apartment. I still need to talk to you. It is important to me."

I try to make eye contact with him without blushing. I failed miserably when he cupped his hand at the bottom of my chin and gently pulled me in for a kiss. I turned away, despite my body's protest. Having those soft lips on mine is exactly what I wanted, but I knew that would give him the wrong idea about me again.

He looked at me with a curious face.

"What was that about?" He chuckled. "I thought we were comfortable with each other."

"We are. I just..."

My phone dinged with a text notification, and I hastily took out my phone. I noticed he looked away with a small disappointed sigh.

Hey, if he is going too fast for you, tell him to slow down. You just met him. Tell him you're not going to be easily swooned."

I laugh in my head. A little too late for that.

Well, that's the thing. I fell for him too. I know I am going too fast, but I can't help it. He's really attractive, and he is nice. I think he is trying to keep up with me. I kissed him first. He might think that I am ready to start this relationship.

Niko suddenly took my phone. Luckily, I turned my phone screen off.

"Who are you texting so secretly? A competitor for your heart? Let this guy know he's got to contend with me, and I won't lose."

"I...was texting my mother." I didn't want to lie to him. I also can't let him know I am asking relationship guidance from a friend.

"Okay." He said, letting it pass for now.

He gave my phone back and suggested we leave to go back to his apartment. I agreed, mostly because it was getting pretty hot now with the noon sun burning my skin already. Niko's darker complexion didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest.

The air conditioning in my car felt nice. Niko remained quiet on the ride home. He took the scenic route home which was nice of him. The park was full of joggers, house mothers taking care of their children, and elderly people feeding the ducks. A typical sight for a popular park.

Niko was extra careful in parking my car next to his, ensuring either not scratching up my car or his. He killed the engine, and handed over my keys. He didn't exit the car yet like I did. He grabbed my arm and eased me back inside. I sat back down and closed the door, thinking he had to say something important that couldn't wait until we got back inside.

"How much was this car when you got it?"

I admit, I was crushed. I thought it was something major like asking me out on a date next week, or asking me what I think of him.

"It was ten years ago, Niko. I dunno. $12,000? Why?"

"You had this car for 10 years? That's a good car! You certainly got your money out of this beauty."

"Niko, it's just a car. Why do you like it so much?"

"Because my car is a piece of shit." He laughed. "Like I said, it gets five miles per gallon, every week something seems to go wrong with it, and I get too many girls...and guys thinking I am the sexiest man alive when I drive it. It gets me too much attention, you know? I want a car that gets me less of that."

"You don't like being the center of attention?" I tease.

"I'm not that vain."

"Well, I'm sure you'll get a good deal if you sell your car."

"That's laughable. The dealer doesn't want it back. I told them it was a shitty car with all these things going wrong with it, and they actually refused to take it back. It is considered a liability."

"What a joke! What if you just left it on the car lot?"

"I've thought about that. Then some young punk steals it, and it bursts into flames. The family sues me for killing their kid because they think there is a car bomb that I put on it, and I get deported."

"Deported? Don't you have your papers?"

"No. I'm an immigrant. I am illegally here."

Oh, great. Now that's what I really didn't want. I can't start a relationship with him. If he actually does get deported, that's the end of that. And that's the least of the legal trouble he can get into.

"But I had someone ensuring the government looked the other way as long as I did things for them. I guess they continued to do so."

"Doesn't that scare you? Knowing you could possibly get kicked out or put in prison?"

"I've been in prison before for a short time. I shan't say what for. Prison over here seems to be a vacation for some of you Americans with your repeat offenders, small time criminals, and parole violators."

The conversation we were having was dark, but strangely light-hearted. I never knew a man who laughed at the prison system. The thought of me going to prison scared me.

"That being said, I don't think that will happen to me. As long as Big Brother keeps me here, I will have to do favors for them."

"Explain favors to me." I decided to take that route. One that will fill me in more on his lifestyle.

"Are you prepared to hear all this? I don't want to scare you." He looked at the clock radio, it read 1:10. "Perhaps we go inside?"

I take him up on his offer, and we both head inside. He remained quiet all the way, and we get to his apartment door. He hesitated a second before he let me inside. I think he was scared he would scare me away after everything he had to tell me.

"Go on in." He prompted.

I make myself comfortable and prepare myself for his story. I look at my phone, and I see that I got another text message.

You have to tell him you're not ready for things to get serious, or you'll be wishing you didn't get with him. He could hurt you.

She did have a point. I made my mind up. I decide to tell him to take things slow before he starts with his story.

"Niko, I gotta say something."

He went to the kitchen when I sat down to get drinks for him and me. I heard his ice machine deposit ice in a glass cup.

"What's on your mind, Sharon?"

My name sounds so sexy coming from his lips.

"I need to let you know that I really think you're a great guy. Almost hard to believe that you fell for me. But I really think we need to slow things down a bit. We might be going too fast."

By this time, he'd already placed the glasses down on his coffee table and sat down. He sat close to me, I noticed.

"If you think we are going too fast, I can slow down. I respect you. I didn't mean any disrespect to you earlier. I just thought you were ready to start this."

I knew it. I gave him the wrong idea.

"I am ready to start this. But not so fast. I shouldn't have kissed you like I did. That gave you the wrong idea. It's just been so long since my last boyfriend." I shook my head. "But that's no excuse to lead you on like that. I'm sorry."

"No harm done. And if it's any consolation, you're a great kisser." He finished with a small laugh. "I can understand your feeling to want to jump right into a relationship. The need to be loved. I had a relationship like that. She wanted to take it slow just like you. She got to know me. Then she decided to give me a chance. Like you are doing now. On my cousin's wedding day, she was murdered by a man I used to work for."

I suddenly went pale, thinking the same fate was for me in dating him.

His eyebrows shot up.

"But that's not going to happen to you." He added quickly. He took both of my hands and held them in his. His hands were surprisingly soft, yet strong. "I won't let it. I will do everything in my power to protect you. Even if it means me giving my life up for you."

"You think you can protect me from the unforseen?"

"Not the unforseen. I call them chances."

"The chance to see me get hurt?!"

"Not like that. The chance to keep you safe. I am laying myself out to you."

I still wasn't entirely sold after being told that. My silence must have given all he needed to know.

"I blew it. I just lost you. I just can't keep anyone for myself." He hung his head. It looked like he fought back some tears.

"I didn't say no, Niko. I just want to go slow with you. Let me get my feet wet before I plunge into your life."

He took a sip of his water and sighed heavily. Perhaps it was a nonchalant way of cooling down his thoughts that were taking him over. I should know, I was having the same thoughts. Damn brain.

"I agree with you."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"The dark brought into the light"

Niko was relatively calm as he explained his story to me. He started almost to the day he was born. He explained to me that his father and Roman's father were drunken abusers who abused both of them and their wives. He had a younger brother who died in the war, and during his time in the war, he has seen and was subected to harsh conditions that no young man should see. Upon the war's ending, he had to take up illegal activities for work because he wasn't able to find regular work. He revealed that Roman came to America in 1998, and he came to America in 2008. Niko was promised that Roman had 'made it big' in America, but much to Niko's dismay, he found out that he fabricated a story to get Niko out of Europe. That really didn't detour him that much. After all, he learned that the man he was chasing was in America. While in the young months in America, he had worked for the Russian Mobs and a few other men that were willing to pay Niko to get rid of some competition for the mob. He told me he solved all his criminal issues by killing off all those who wanted his services. I wonder how he is still getting these phone calls, and why he still agrees to those terms. Perhaps he really doesn't have a choice.

Niko continued on with him only having one potentially serious relationship with a girl named Kate McCreary, who unfortunately was the one Niko could not save at Roman's wedding. He informed me that he is the reason she died. He was supposed to work with the Russians to smuggle cocaine to various locations. Niko chose not to work with the Russians because the Russian mob leader, Dimitri Rascalov, and Niko had a bad history. In the end, an Italian mafia leader, Jimmy Pegorino, sought out to kill Niko because the deal with the Russians was supposed to save him from going belly up. Jimmy missed Niko and fatally shot Kate. Niko's other girlfriends were from dating sites, but the women he met was mostly for fun. The dating site proved to be unsuccessful to Niko to help him find a more serious relationship.

After a long and tiring discussion about himself, he paused to let me absorb all his information. To my suprise, and his too, I still remained by his side. He waited for a barrage of questions from me, but everything he explained was so thorough. There was no room for questions, except one.

"Then why are you still getting these calls? And still going after these guys?"

"I still get calls from time to time. It isn't with anyone involved with the mafia or the Russian gangs. I mentioned before I still get work from the government to see off those who the police department can't find. It has nothing to do with organized crime. The people I kill were just destined to either have the taxpayers pay their way through the rest of their life in prison, or they were eventually headed to prison to be put to death by injection. I promise you this."

I recall all of his phone calls, and they all were from the same caller.

"But I am tired of killing people. I am tired of the government holding me by my balls. I can't settle down and have a family or anything. I need you to help me."

"You're going to marry me just so you can become legal in this country!?"

"No! It's not like that. I wouldn't use you to give myself gain." He took a breath and regained his composure. "I never knew what it was like to have a happy family. And I only had a small taste to know what it felt like to actually have someone love me. I didn't have to tell a lie for a girl to love me and live the rest of my life as a lie."

"What if the government finds you out? What will happen to me? If you stop doing these favors, didn't you say they could deport you?"

"I stopped once. For a while, I told them I want out. I told them I was done doing these contracts. They did stop calling me for about a year. Then they called again. I was bent over a barrel, and they threatened me if I didn't start helping them again, I would be deported. I had no choice but to help them again."

"Do these people have a location, so you can talk to them?"

"Yes. I was there before."

"You can't go to them?"

"I could. I could tell them again that I am not working for them anymore. But they would ship me back home. I suppose I could work out a deal with them, and see if they can make me legal." He looked like he was formulating a plan. "But they have been known to be tough. My ex-girlfriend, Karen, whose alias was Michelle, works for the government. They gave her life back. But she is an American citizen and I'm not. I'm not sure how much pull these guys have."

"There's only one way to find out, Niko. Go ask them. Remind them that you had unbending loyalty to them, and you never questioned their orders. See if you can finally be free."

He seemed to like that 'free' word. He formed a small smile as he thought of what it was like to have that.

"I can go talk to them Monday. I need you to promise me something before I do."

"What's that?"

"If they do deport me, I want you to come with me back home."

"Niko, I can't! I have family here!"

He stood up and made no other actions. I'm not sure if he just stood up to realize his body went numb from my response, or if he was going to plead with me.

He grabbed me and stood me up. There was absolutely no space between us. He swung his arms around my body and held me almost like a child clinging to his mother.

"I suppose this is it then. We can't be together. It was never meant to be." His voice broke even my heart.

"Goodbye, Sharon. I want to wish you luck. Remember me, will you, and what we could have had?"

"Niko," I had no clue what to say. I just screwed up the one potentially good thing in my life. "Niko, I'm sorry. You must understand that this is totally out of my control. I can promise you that when you come back, I will be there. I cannot promise you to be there when you don't come back. You have to be assertive in this deal process. I'll go with you." I said completely forgetting I have to work Monday.

"How can you persuade them? They have no claim over you."

"I'll fight for you. I will refuse to leave the office until they give you what you want."

"You'll fight for me?"

"Yes. There has to be something you can agree to."

"He would probably allow me to get what I want if I do one last big favor for them."

"Kill one more man to be free? Do you think you can do it?"

"One more man to finally be free and be happy and have you? I can do that. It all depends on what they want me to do. One man could mean me going after a group of bodyguards to get to one."

"I think you should take it."

"You actually agree that I kill someone?"

"If you wanted my help, I am offering it. I can take Monday off too. Unless you're okay with doing this yourself."

"I prefer you to be with me. At all times, wherever I go, whatever I do. I need you."

"Then I will be there."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Normality returns for a day"

The next day after spending the entire day with Niko, hanging out with him at his apartment for a while, finding something to do later before dinnertime, finding a movie theater to watch the newest movie after dinner, and finally ending our time together, I found myself back home. Spending the day with him was really enjoyable, and I found him to be captivating. He taught me a little bit of Serbian which was fun to use when pedestrians walked into me. I used a Serbian swear word and watched as one man just walk away confused as to what he was called. Of course Niko was in stitches upon witnessing this. I ended my night watching a movie or two. I passed out about 1 am on the couch. Niko called about 9:30 in the morning to wish me a good morning. We talked for a while, discussing movies and music. His greatest sentence at the end of our conversations was, "I miss you." He may have only known me for a day, but atleast he didn't say "I love you." I know as well as he does we both aren't ready to say or hear it. I bet that's his way of telling me he loves me without saying it. I would follow up with a realistic comment like, "You barely know me.", or "I just saw you yesterday." I think he is just wanting finally to have this end.

"I need this more than you know." His voice said over the phone.

"Believe me, Niko. I know what you mean. This will happen. You just need to be positive." I tell him to ease his troubled mind.

Then came his shocking comment.

"I-I don't suppose we can fool around on the phone, do you?"

I stay stern with him.

"Niko, no. Not today. You need to stay focused on your goal."

"My goal is you. It never was about tomorrow."

He thinks he can honey me up. It almost worked.

"Are you sure I can't change your mind?"

"Just how do you think you can?"

I heard him fiddling with his phone, but I wasn't sure what he was doing. Then I heard his camera shutter sound. This is exactly where I think it's going.

"I sent you something. I think you'll like it."

Despite my curious mind, I delete his message. I really did want to see what he looked like, but I wasn't going to lead him on without being fully into sexting.

I heard his phone camera again. He was sending me multiple images of himself.

"You're playing hard to get, aren't you?"

"How did-"

"You're not making any indication that you looked at my dick pictures. I'm not dumb."

He's played this game before. Probably with the other girlfriends he had.

"Niko-"

"It won't hurt you to look at them. It will give you an idea what you're up against when we decide it is time to have sex. Maybe you can send me some of you. I bet you're breathtaking under all those clothes."

I dropped my phone after he said that. I could hear him breathing a little harder as I brought my phone back to my ear. He was masturbating on the phone with me.

"Send me something, please?"

I hesitated for a moment.

"Will you promise me that you'll respect me like you say you do?"

His breath slowed for a minute.

"What do you mean? I will always give you respect."

"I mean, will you still be interested in me afterwards? Will you still seek me out after I send you what you want? I won't be just a fling for you?"

"I thought you knew me a little better than that, Sharon. I told you I am interested in you. Even afterwards. Even a year later. Even 10 years later. You will still be the woman for me if you continue to have me, too."

That was the icing on my cake. I agree to send him what he wanted. I confirm to him what he wanted just before I send.

"Do you want to see me?"

"Uhn. Yes I do. Please don't make me wait any longer."

"Tell me what you want to see."

"Show me all of you. Let me see you."

I decide to take a look at what he had been sending. I saw the thumbail picture. Holy shit! He was as big as I thought he would be! When I looked at him yesterday somehow seeing through his trousers, my mind took a wild guess at his fully erect length. The picture and my guess didn't do it justice though. I was sure it looked better up close. The image of his balls certainly completed his package.

My camera phone is working overtime in taking various images of myself. I even felt adventurous enough to send him a video of me playing with myself. I send the video to him, and all I hear is him groan out loud.

"I could watch that until I die. That's so gorgeous. Send me more, please." I heard him breathing harder and more animalistic.

I decide to try to send him over the edge into his orgasm when I get the idea to bring my toys into the fray. I send him a video of me sucking off my dildo. It was a short 10 second video, but if he likes it, I am sure it will be enough for him.

I recieve a video of him wildly stroking his penis. I could see his abs as well. He is so stunning.

That of course, sends me into the first orgasm I ever had during phone sex. It was unlike anything I ever experienced.

His chuckle on the other side brought me back to myself.

"I heard that. Don't finish without me. I'm nowhere near climaxing." He said panting.

I could tell that was a lie. The guys I was with said the very same thing. I gather myself after my orgasm and decide to use my toys the way they were meant to be used. I send him a teasing photo of the dildo I was using, and I caption it.

I bet you want me to use this?

"That's so hot. Put it in you. Tell me how it feels. Don't you wish it were me instead of that fake cock?" He asked harshly.

He had to be getting close. Either that, or he had crazy stamina. If that's the case, I'd have my work cut out for me when the time came.

"I kinda do wish you were here, but I'd send you back home."

"Don't be such a tease." He chuckled again which earned a giggle from me.

Oh my God! I am actually bonding with him!

He sent me another video of himself. This time it was sent so I could see his face. He had on the world's most suggestive face on while crooking his finger, conveying me to come back to him and finish him off. The back of my mind told me to stop being such a goody two shoes and rock his world until the both of us were writhing in ecstasy. The front of my mind told me to remain firm in what I believed in. It was at that contradictory moment in my mind that it began to feud with itself.

You were the same way with the other boys. Save yourself until you are ready. Look how far that got you in the end. Four broken hearts from four different boyfriends.

The more reasoning side stepped in before I acted on my lust.

You could get hurt if he leaves you. You still don't know all that much about him. He could be a conartist. He could play his way into your heart, use you for what he wants, and leave you.

That argument didn't sit right with the lust.

Always thinking the worst in people. He said he would love you even afterwards.

My mind raised a valid point. Whatever my reason was to agree to head over and sleep with him was mine, and I was sticking to it. I didn't tell him I was on my way over to his apartment though. I throw on some clothes as I continued to tease him more, so he'd be still hard when I get there. I resend him pictures and videos pretending I am still in my bedroom.

He sends me a video of him telling me he can't wait to be inside me as he held his penis as his way of telling me that his penis was for me. It took a massive amount of control to keep my car on the street.

I get to his apartment, and I imagine exactly what he is doing alone up there. My mind races, and one last reasoning thought makes it to the surface.

Think about what you're doing!

I hesitated for a monent at his apartment complex. He sent another video of himself using an artificial vagina with the caption:

I really wish this was you. Fake pussy just isn't the same.

I now was acting on pure lust as I took a photo of his apartment number. I stood outside his door waiting for him to answer it and let me in. I feel his excitement as I heard him run to the door. He opened the door, and there he stood in the nude. I stood outside his door lustfilled as much as he was.

"I am surprised to see you here." His breath ragged from pounding his artificial vagina.

He was rock solid and rigid veins were totally visable. He looked incredible. I could feel his heat as well as smell the sex coming from him.

"Are you going to invite me in, or are you just going to let me stand here in my own puddle of arousal?"

"Get in here." His tone was almost authoritive and raised no questions from me.

He lead me to his bedroom and cleared his bed of all of his sex toys. I lay over his bed to get comfortable. This would be very interesting.

"I'm very glad you came. I couldn't take you not being here."

"You promised me that you'd still be with me after, I am here to see that you are a man of your word. I won't find out for sure if I keep putting this off."

"I will be here for you in the morning and afterwards. Just like I said."

He climbed in bed with me, and I lay back on his pillows. I smell his cologne, and I am humbled to be in bed with him. He takes off my clothes with ease and positions himself above me. I feel butterflies of every emotion possible. Excitement, bold, and even nervous.

"Please let me know if I hurt you. If your ex-boyfriends weren't as big as I am, you'll feel a little pain as I stretch you until I have filled you. Once I have been accommodated inside you, this will take your orgasms to new heights." His eyes held mine in place. His concern was so authentic that I gestured him to begin. Before he did, he reached in his nightstand and found the same warming gel I used.

"I picked this up just for you. I caught that hint of yours. Are you ready?" He said as he used a liberal amount of gel after he applied a condom. This was going to be fun.

I felt a little nervous, but I bite my lip and nod my answer.

He moved his arm down his body to aim himself inside. He slowly moved himself just outside. His head began to slide into me. I feel myself forming around him. Once his head was fully inside, he met my lips with his. His kiss set me off as I feel myself pour out arousal. I feel my arms wrap around his neck mutely telling him to give me more. I moan with his kiss. He breaks away from kissing me much to my reluctance.

"I am going to go on farther."

Before I can prepare myself, even though he told me what he was going to do, his cock streched me out wider. My fingernals dig into his back, and I squeal out. I think he liked my nails digging into his back because he growed lowly under his breath. It was so painfully slow how he inched forward. It was alarming how long it was the last time I had sex.

"Are you okay?" I felt him look at with me.

"I'm okay. Please, go faster. I need to feel you. All of you."

"Sweet girl, I can tell you are ready for me. I feel you forming around me."

With that, he withdrew his penis completely. My wetness covered the condom. He held onto my shoulders and drove into me with short quick thrusts. I was incapable of words as he did. He however grunted like a madman. His sensation could only be described as euphoric. My sensation was complete speechlessness. He was too good for words.

Again and again he rammed into me. The both of us building up to the crescendo. He lifted me with amazing strength, and I sat on him as he was on his knees. The gravity was allowing him to plunge deeper inside. I clutched onto him, wrapping my legs around his backside.

"You feel so good. Please kiss me."

My mouth was unhinged. Not a thought ran through my head, and when I didn't comply to his demand, he brought himself into a kiss. We were both breathing hard and laboriously.

"Niko." Was all I managed to say as he thrusted upwards into me. I felt his balls slapping on my ass.

He again moved me off him, withdrawing from me. I protest like a child. How dare he?

He flipped me over on my belly, and he urged my back side up when he wrapped his hands around my waist.

"So beautiful."

He said, spectating the scene in front of him. He hovered above me as I felt his body weight. He placed his hand on the bed to stabilize himself, and with his other hand, aimed his cock to drill into me. This time he didn't tell me his intentions.

I screamed at his re-entry into my aroused flesh. Gripping his bed sheets into bunched up balls. His sex felt so amazing. I muffled loud screams at his increased speed and thrusting.

Then I lost it. My orgasm covered me from head to toe, and I trembled under him as he kept going.

"Well, that's no fair, is it?" His voice was deep.

He flipped me over as I still recovered from such an overwhelming orgasm. The sad thing is, I don't think he was fully inside me.

He took off the condom and tossed it in the local area of the trash can.

"S-sorry." My head was swimming.

"What are you going to do for me?"

I still was knocked flat from such an intense orgasm.

"I have an idea."

He eased me on my back again, and he climbed up to my face. His testicals rubbed on my chin. He was so forward in what he wanted. I gotta give him that.

"Niko, I don't think I can finish you with my mouth."

"Why not?"

"You're too big."

He began to stoke himself over my face and placed his other hand on his hip. I unconsciously started massaging his balls, and he threw his head back.

"That's a good girl."

I did this for him. His pleasure and achieving his orgasm was all I ever wanted. And many other times after.

I managed to slide out from underneath his legs and threw him on his back. He spread a smile on his face.

"That's what I like."

I crawled on his body and began to stroke him. He placed one hand on the back of my head and his other hand went behind his. He was enjoying this scene too much.

"I know how to please a man, but when he has a massive dick, I get a little nervous." I confessed.

"Why's that?"

How he was able to have a full conversation while having his member stroked was beyond me. It took me a few minutes just to say one word.

"Look at you! How long you are! Has any other girl ever been afraid of your length?" I go for his head, rolling my palm at his very tip. He hissed through his teeth at this new method.

"Only one. She was afraid I'd harm her. She looked at me fully erect, and she left me."

"I bet that crushed you."

"Yes it did. Only because she told me she could take me. That was a lie."

I sped up my stroking, and he squinted his eyes. I prepared for his warm seed, thinking he was climaxing. To my bewilderment, he was ready for more.

He brought his other hand out from behind his head and placed it on the other side of my head. He was guiding my mouth to his penis.

"Niko, wait. Let me do it on my own."

"Am I scaring you? I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I smile with mischief.

I brought his shaft to my nose and took a sharp inhale. I wanted to sample his scent.

I began to lick the underside of his shaft. I could tell he was slowly losing control. I saw some precum coming from his tip.

"Getting closer." I said, and I licked the juice from the tip.

He bucked his hips upward, and his penis slid alongside my cheek.

"Very close." I purr, and take in as much as I can of his penis.

He roared out from the sudden moisture of my mouth and warmth. He was making small thrusting motions as I did the best I could to give him a blowjob. It seemed to be working as me made it totally obvious he was enjoying himself.

Moments later, his hips shot up one last time, and his back arched with his orgasm filling my mouth. Muffled noises of shock came from me as I accepted his load like the little expert I was. With one last spurt, he collapsed onto the bed completely spent. Too bad I couldn't last as long as he did.

I crawled up to him and watched him breathe heavy. He was beautiful. His face, his body, everything. I almost told him at that very moment that I loved him. Almost.

He opened his eyes, and a grin spread over my face.

"How'd I do?"

His chest shook as he stifled a laugh.

"Good, but I got to teach you how to wait for me to climax with you.

"And just how do you plan on teaching me that?"

"I have my ways. You'll learn in time how I really am in bed."

"You mean that wasn't your best?"

"Absolutely not. Sweet girl, I will have you trembling when I'm done with you."

"How are you even human? You lasted a good ten minutes. And that's after you using your fake pussy."

"I am good at sex apparently."

"And you have superhuman stamina."

"I run a lot."

"And masturbate a lot."

"That's not true."

"You liar!" I tease.

"No really. I don't masturbate that much. This whole month, I masturbated maybe three times."

"Then how are you able to last so long? Do you take pills?"

"No."

By this time I was now laying comfortably on his ironically soft, yet hard chest. I was dancing my finger around his pecs. He seemed to like what I was doing as I raised goosebumps around his body.

"Then how?"

"I am special, I guess."

I dismiss the conversation and place my cheek to his chest. I sigh contentedly. His breathing was calm and his heartbeat was slow. I think to myself I can have this forever as long as he stays loyal to me.

I feel his move his arm tighter around my shoulder, and he rubs my back. I actually close my eyes and really get comfortable.

"This would be us every day." He said.

"I could get used to this."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"A favor for freedom"

The next morning Niko gathed together some clothes for me to wear. Even though they were a size to big because they were altered to his height and frame, he still thought I was adorable. He laughed as I tripped over his trouser legs as I walked around his apartment. Still, at least it was better than wearing what I had on to speak to a government employee.

"You still look good. Even when you have nothing on." He said.

"Behave yourself. You shouldn't get yourself all hot and bothered before you meet this agent."

He ate his bowl of cereal at his small kitchen table in the corner while I mock scolded him. He patted his lap prompting me to sit. I wrap my arms around his neck and pressed my breasts against him.

"How can I behave when you do stuff like this?"

I felt his hardness against my leg as I teased him. I know what you're thinking. I'm a hypocrite for doing what I did to him yesterday and even now. Sometimes you should go with your gut feeling. My lust filled mind did have a point. I saved myself until I was ready with all four of my ex's. I was willing to be different this time with him.

"When you have a sexy man, it's hard for any woman to act normal."

"Ти си моја слатка љубав. Бити са мном заувек."

Before I could ask him what he said, his mouth met mine again and kissed me with a firey passion. My eyes rolled back as a small wimper escaped me.

"Волим те." He said as he broke the kiss.

"What?"

"Волим те."

"Yes?" I questioned what I just agreed to. He smiled at my lack of understanding.

"I said I love you."

I flushed red at his comment. I swallowed hard for I was about to confess the same thing.

"How do you say I love you, too in Serbian?"

"Волим и ја тебе."

"Yeah, that."

He laughed and gave me a quick peck on my cheek.

"I should teach you some more Serbian. It is actually really nice talking in my language with someone other than my cousin." He said thoughtfully.

The clock on the wall chimed in the 8 am hour, and that realization of the time changed Niko's mood.

"Well, we should get going. You called in sick for today already?"

"I called before we went to sleep."

He slid me off his lap and took his bowl to the sink. I noticed he grabbed a folder with a few papers in it as we left his apartment.

"Can we take your car again?"

"Sure."

He handed me his folder, and I gave him my keys.

"This drive could be a while. It's about an hour away."

I start up my game, and Niko let's out a laugh.

"I guess you'll manage. You're impossible. Ти си немогуће."

"You'll get hooked too if you play."

"I don't think I will like it. It's too childish. Не хвала."

"I can't understand you."

Niko roars with laughter and stops at a red light. He took his hands off the steering wheel and gave me another smile.

"Ти си најлепша ствар коју сам видео целог живота."

"Nope. Still don't understand."

"You are the most beautiful thing I have seen all my life. I really enjoy being with you."

The light turned green, and he progressed down the street.

As soon as we arrived, Niko grab the folder I was holding.

"What is in there?" I finally asked.

"Something you shouldn't see." He tucked the folder under his arm and gave me my keys. "Perhaps it is better if you stay here. Ја ћу се вратити."

"I thought you want me in there with you."

"I'd rather you not see or hear who I've killed. The less you know, the better."

"You've told me everything you've done on Saturday. Хајде, Нико."

He smiled. He must have been impressed with my fast learning.

"Not everything. Please, wait here for me. I will tell you what the result was when I come back. обећавам."

I sat back down in the car. I watched him go inside and wondered how he'd handle this without me. He told me he wanted me to fight for him. Oh well, better just listen to the radio.

I get a text message, and I look at the sender. It was Niko.

Вратићу се теби за неко време. Хвала на разумевању.

He really must want me to learn Serbian overnight because he has been speaking it more frequently. Even before we went to bed. He told me good night in Serbian. I reply back to him:

What?

I could only imagine him laughing as he waited or whatever the heck he was doing in there.

I said thank you for understanding. I will be back for you in a while. I'm about to sit down with this guy. Желим ми срећу. Wish me luck.

Okay. That I understood.

Желим whatever...

I recieved no reply. Nothing at all. I waited patiently for over 2 hours, playing my silly game Niko so fondly called. I texted a few people asking what's up. I even studied a little Serbian, so I could impress him when he came back.

"Како је прошло?" I asked him when he basically flopped down into the car.

He smiled at my language of choice.

"Није добро. Желио је да некога убијем, наравно, али сам му рекао не једном када сам сазнала ко је то."

Okay. I have absolutely no clue. I looked at him for a translation.

"It didn't go as good as I planned. He wanted me to kill someone, of course. I told him no once I was told who my target was."

"Niko! Why? That was your chance."

"Because the person is related to you. This is your last name, correct?"

I seized with worry.

"Who is it?!"

"I shouldn't tell you. You'll worry."

"Of course I'll worry!" I snapped. "Niko, Кажи ми."

He handed me the contract. It was my brother. My body went limp as I blacked out.

The next thing I know, I am back at Niko's apartment in his bed. I came to and there he was, waiting for me to say something.

"Thank God you're okay."

I sat up straight and looked Niko in his eyes.

"Why the hell do they want my brother dead?!

"They don't want him dead. They just want me to turn him in. He's gotten himself into some legal trouble. It caught the eye of my employers. He became involved in gangs. I told hi-"

"We have to find my brother immediately!"

I searched for my phone. When I couldn't find mine, Niko handed me his. I frantically dial his number in hopes that I can find out where he is. I called several times, hoping he didn't pick up the first time because he didn't recognize Niko's number. I left a voice mail and sent him a text message.

Niko was now sitting beside me in bed.

"I can't imagine how scared you are."

"Niko, what am I gunna do?!"

He looked like he had an overwhelming urge to go after his employers, judging by his lowered brows.

"I am going to defend your brother. I am going after the man who issued this contract."

"You can't do that! You'll be killed!"

"No I won't."

I grab his arm and plead with him.

"You can't go after a government employee!"

"What do you suggest we do!?" He snapped back. "Your brother is in trouble. I have to help him."

"It's suicide! I don't want my brother to go to jail, nor do I want to lose you. Волим те."

Niko froze his thinking for a moment. I said it. Even though I said it in his language. Hell, he must think it to be ten times better to hear it in his language.

"Волим и ја тебе. Чак и више од речи може рећи."

"I can't have you going off only to come back in a body bag. There's got to be another way of doing this. Can't you tell your employer to ignore this?"

"He has a small file, but it is all gang related. Small time criminals can be swept under for a while, but they will come for him."

"You have to help my brother, Niko."

"Do you know where he lives? Maybe we can go to him?"

I haven't talked to my brother in years. I try to recall his last known location. I type his address in my GPS and show Niko.

"I know the place. Let's go." He stood up and got a gun from his closet. I had no idea he had firearms in his apartment. I look at him with surprise.

"It's for my protection. I never know who'll show up to end me."

I follow him out the door. I noticed he grabbed his keys this time. I am too worried to be excited about driving in a sports car.

As he darted in and out of traffic, I get more scared. I wonder what sort of activity my brother has been doing, and I wondered why he never called me for help. I feel a sense of dread as the GPS tell us the destination is on the left. Niko pulled in a driveway, and he circled around. He was surveying the area before entering.

"Stay here. Don't let anybody in. I'll lock the doors." He said and slid out of his car.

"Niko, wait. Please be careful. Come back to me safely."

"I'll be fine. If you see someone sketchy, stay low."

His eyes stayed with mine for about ten seconds, then he turned and flew inside the apartment building. I waited inside the car nervously looking around. My eyes watched everything around the car. I had half the mind to call Niko after an hour passed, but that wouldn't be a wise idea.

It was after that thought, I heard gunfire erupting in an instant. I hid under the dashboard of Niko's car. I held my phone tight, hoping Niko was okay. It was extremely tense for the next fourty minutes. I stuck my head up periodically to see where he is. I still see nothing, and for a moment, I had the fear he might be dead.

My phone rang. I answered immediately once I saw who was calling.

"Sharon? Are you alright? Are you still in the car?" Hearing his voice washed the fear away.

"Niko! I'm okay! Are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm unlocking the door. Don't panic." I could tell he was running at full speed. I heard another voice come in the background.

"Be quiet and follow me." He demanded away from his phone.

I heard the car doors unlock. Niko and my brother came out of the apartment. Niko threw open the door and shoved my brother in. Niko sat in the car and revved the engine, seeming to tell a machine we need all its horsepower. A few bullets klanked on the body of the car.

"Stay down a hold on!" Niko warned.

He put his foot down, causing the tires to screech. He flew out of the parking lot and rounded the corner at full speed. I swear he took the corner on two wheels. I silently hope this car doesn't take a crap on us. He did say it has a lot of problems.

Niko took back streets to escape from whoever was shooting at us. He parked the car under a small pedestrian walkway bridge. A sigh of relief came from him. I didn't notice because we were doing atleast ninety miles per hour, but Niko was bleeding from his right arm and from his right side. My motherly instinct kicked in, and I tried to bandage him up with the shirt I had in. I began to tear the sleeves, and he stopped me.

"I'll be fine. Worry about your brother. The drug deal he was in was a set up by the police."

I turned to my brother in the compact back seats, and I attack him verbally and physically.

"You идиот! You глупи јункие! How dare you risk yourself! You could have died!"

"Bitch, you're crazy. Get your hands off me!" He said.

"I bet you don't even remember who I am!"

"I could care less why you are! I'm outta here!"

He attempted to escape from the back seat. Niko held him in check and held the door closed.

"Sit down and shut up. You're not going anywhere."

"This is kidnapping! Help!" He shouted. Passerby looked inside the vehicle, and Niko sped off again. He drove through the city back to his apartment. I found it a good idea that Niko kept him quiet by gagging him.

"Take him up to the apartment. I'll be up there in a minute. There's something I got to do." Niko instructed and gave me his apartment keys.

It was a struggle getting my brother to cooperate. The elevator made it much more difficult as it took a good three minutes to get to the main floor. Many people got off the elevator, and I forced my brother on. He struggled the entire ride up. I shoved him onto the couch and begin my interrogation.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with yourself! Why are you doing this?"

"Nobody cares for me! Not even you. You we're never there! You don't know what I've been through!"

"You never called me to tell me anything!"

"I called several times! You never picked up! I told you you never cared!"

Niko burst through the door as he heard raised voices. He had a look of pure anger.

"Do you have any idea how full of shit you sound? Your sister was terrified knowing you fucked your own life up, and she was still there to get you out of that mess. Do you know how serious it is if you got caught by those pigs? You aren't going to see the light of day as you rot up in prison. You better be more thankful for what she has done." His tone and harsh language scared even me. I did not expect to have tough love for my brother. I guess since he risked his life to save him.

Niko disappeared to the bathroom to patch himself up. I really wanted to help him mend his wounds, but I wanted to find out what he has been up to for 4 years. I started my questioning beginning with the last time I saw him.

He'd been a depressed wreck for a while. He cast aside all his friends and family and adopted a drug addiction. He also sold drugs and other illegal activities. The last time I saw my brother, he was working as a mechanic at a car company. I assumed everything was going good for him. He moved out of state, and I lost track of him. After all that time, he never called or attempted to reach out to anyone for help. Despite what he claimed. It was his smacked out mind that made him detatch himself from reality. And that hurt me when he said I never cared for him. Even though I knew it was the drugs talking.

I do some silent research on my phone about looking to get my brother checked into a drug recovery clinic when I heard Niko shout out in pain. I was there by his side in an instant to see if he was okay.

"I'm fine." He stated rather harshly. "I've suffered far worse."

It seemed he was more telling himself that as a way to ward off his complaining mind of the pain.

"Let me help you."

"No! I'm fine." He swatted me away, but didn't make contact.

His eyes held a rage that frightened me. Why wouldn't he let me help him?

He suddenly realized who he was with and regret filled him.

"I'm sorry. I get like this. It is the after math of something like that that makes me push people away. I am trying to work on that." He half smiled.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it."

He raised his arm up to allow me to clean his, what I assumed to be, stab wound and I bound it up around his abdomen with the wrap he selected. I planted a kiss on his side to fictionally promote a faster healing time.

"Just like a mother." He said upon seeing what I did.

He stood me up and we both went back to my brother, who was currently passed out from his last heroin use.

I shook my head at his lack of willpower.

"You really should try to show more support. Heroin is a powerful drug."

Didn't he just show the same disappointment I had a few moments ago? Why is he sympathetic all of a sudden?

"He never tried to reach to us for help, Niko. All he cares about now is how he is going to get his fix and when."

"Do you even know what he is going through? Something really bad must have happened to him for him to look for an escape."

Niko sat down on his recliner chair since his couch was currently being inhabited by a stranger. He waved to me to come sit with him. I swung my leg over his lap, and I sat on him like a little girl would when being given a life lesson by a grandfather.

"Look at you, Niko. You've seen a lot of bad things. How are you not using this stuff?"

"I never had a thought like that. I usually just turn to vodka if my thoughts turn for the worst."

"So, you're an alcoholic, like your father."

That comment snapped Niko's attention fully to me. I probably pissed him off. Great.

"I am not like him. You don't know alcoholic like Roman and I do. The son of a bitch hit us almost daily, and our mother every moment. Everything was our fault, and nothing we did was good enough for him. He's partly the reason I was drafted in the war. Don't you ever compare him to me."

His tone had a forbidding tone that made me think I should never mention his father ever again.

"I'm really sorry, Niko. I wish I could take that back. You're right. You're not anything like your father."

"Had you known him, you'd feel the need to obliterate yourself like I have. But I am a survivor. I make it my goal to laugh in my father's face every morning when I wake up to prove to him he was wrong about all of us."

"So, vodka is your escape then? Rather turn to drugs?"

"Alcohol is addictive as well. I feel I have found a safe balance. I haven't had alcohol in over a month though. Even at my cousin's birthday party, I chose water."

"I'm proud of you." I cheerfully say. That made his demeanor change again. Having Niko as a boyfriend is like flipping a coin, but if I can keep him on one side, he's worth it.

"I really didn't do it for you. I didn't know you then. I did it for myself. I felt myself losing control one day. I thought 'enough is enough' and I promised myself to cut down."

"You didn't seek out help? You did it on your own?".

"On my own. Some might say I have great willpower."

His phone rang yet again. He looked at the screen and answered. He put the caller on speakerphone to my surprise.

"Bellic, we know it was you who made that daring rescue." His tone mocked Niko. "In order to get him, we are willing to make you a deal. Give us our guy, and you'll get what you want. Legal citizenship and your freedom."

Niko held his finger to his lips, and I got the hint. I had no experience in this sort of negotiation. Niko was no doubt an expert.

"I will not give you anything. You had your chance to give me what I wanted. You had me by the balls this entire time working for you. Seems I have yours."

"What more do you want? The man is of no significance to you. Or are you doing this for the girl? Either way, you're wasting your time. Give is our man."

"You're the one who decided to bring her into this mess. I am doing the one thing I know how to do!"

"How to be a pain in the ass? What's she paying you? Or is she paying you in sex? I knew you only cared about the size of your Johnson. Take it out of her and surrender. Знамо где се кријете."

"Ово је између вас и мене! Остави је од овога!"

I had no clue what was going on, but apparently this guy knows Niko well enough that he speaks fluent Serbian. Or he is from Serbia.

"This is your last chance. Give us what we want, and we will give you what you want. It is a fair trade".

I held my breath at how time seemed to freeze between Niko and his caller. They must have been able to locate where we are by now.

"I will give you nothing!" He spat and hung up.

Niko then gathered all the necessities and hearded us out to his car. I noticed he grabbed a blue duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. His next move was calling Roman.

"Roman, pick up you lazy bastard." He said.

He threw his duffel bag in the trunk of his car and sat me in the passenger. My brother was cramped up in the back seat again, but he was too passed out to care. He sat down and drove off in a direction that was unknown.

He dialed the number again and put the phone on speaker.

"Niko, what's up?" Roman's voice came over the phone.

"Roman, where's Mallorie?"

"She's with Mila. What's happened? Why do you sound so frantic?"

"Tell Mallorie I need to talk to her. Put her on the phone."

I heard Roman call for Mallorie and tell her Niko needed to talk to her. It took a few minutes for her to get to the phone. I assumed she was taking care of the baby.

"Hey, Niko. What's up?" She spoke after a while.

"I need to ask you a favor".

All of a sudden, Niko punched the peddle to the floor, and we took off at a blazing 100 miles per hour. I looked in the rear view mirror, and saw that the police department dispatched atleast 5 police cruisers and a S.W.A.T truck. The first cruiser called out on the megaphone.

"Pull over to the side of the road!"

Niko ignored the authorities, and blew through traffic light after traffic light. There was heavy traffic at the 5 pm hour with the workday winding down, but he weaved in and out like a professional. I, on the other hand, was still panicked as I watched from the passenger side. I looked in the side mirror and saw a cruiser approaching gradually.

"Niko!" I called his attention.

His instinct was to cut off the cruiser by swerving to the right, causing the car to slow down and eventually rear end a civilian car.

"Pull over, asshole!" The first car called out again.

Niko applied the breaks rather heavily. I swear I smelled burnt rubber. He turned onto a bridge that went over the lake.

"I'm not giving up her brother for any price!" He called out even knowing the fact they couldn't hear him.

"Niko, it's okay." I calmly stated.

He turned his head to me after approaching the end of the bridge. The toll booth was waiting for police on foot, and they threw out the spike strip. Niko easily went around it and raced past the booth.

"What do you mean?"

"It's okay, Niko. We should hand my brother over."

"What?!" He slammed on the breaks in the middle of the freeway. The police had to split in two seperate paths to avoid hitting us.

"They can take him to a drug clinic."

"No they won't."

By this time, the police had their guns drawn, aiming at us. Niko paid no mind, but I felt them targeting us.

"They will not help him like they helped me. They will put him in jail. Do you want that for your brother?"

A few officers cautiously approached the car, guns still drawn and ready to fire.

"Out of the vehicle, nice and slow." I heard an officer say.

"Answer me!" He demanded. "Do you want this for your brother?!"

I had no time to answer as an officer smashed open Niko's window and wrapped his arm around his neck. Niko struggled for air as he brought up both of his arms to try and pry off the officer. My window was also smashed open, and an officer grabbed me by the arm.

"No!" Niko called out.

He shifted the car in drive, and dragged both officers along for the ride. They eventually let go and rolled along the pavement in the rearview mirror.

Niko corrected his torn shirt from the struggle, and I saw he was bleeding from his stab wound.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine. What about you? You're bleeding!"

"I'll be fine."

Niko sped past mainstreets looking for a quite place to hide.

"We're going to ditch this car." He said as he searched around.

"We're going on foot?"

"No. I'm going to steal another car." He said as if stealing was a passing fancy.

"You never gave me your answer. Are you going to turn your brother in, or are you going to trust me enough in going along with my plan?"

I knew that prison was not what my brother needed. He'd possibly form a new drug habit, or even worse, be killed. I had no idea what his plan was, but it seemed a better plan than snitching out my brother.

"I trust you fully. Please take care of my brother."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"In hiding"

Niko had arranged somewhere for us to take cover while we were on the run. Thankfully, the Bellic's knew a few people who were willing to lend a hand. Mallorie's cousin owns a shotty apartment place. It was not what I would call livable conditions, but atleast we had cover. Niko was still hush hush on his plan. I guess he figured I wouldn't know what he was talking about in the first place. Which is true. I let him do what he needed to do.

My brother came around about a few hours ago, starving and thirsty. Niko grabbed a bottle of water before we fled his apartment, and he offered the water to my brother.

"I don't think we should order any food. It wouldn't be smart." Niko added.

"What do we do then?" I ask. It's been a full ten hours since either of us ate, and maybe even longer since my brother ate.

"I'll call up Roman. He'll help us out."

As Niko called Roman, I checked up on my brother. The only thing I could offer was my presence.

"What do you want?" He asked with disgust.

"I was wondering if you were hungry. Niko is going to have his cousin bring us something to eat."

"Who's Niko? Your boytoy? Actually, I don't even want to know. I don't care."

"Listen, I am sorry I was so mean to you. I was furious that you said those things about me not caring about you. You're my brother, and I do care."

"It's a little too late to start caring."

"I never stopped caring about you."

"Bullshit."

His word verbally slapped me in the face. I remembered what Niko said about having more patience. I go back into the living room and Niko is pacing again.

"I am asking you for a favor now...I did what you asked, now it's time for you to help me...Screw you... I'll turn you into the feds"

He was having some sort of heated conversation about something. I sat down on the couch, and he turned to me. He stared at me while the caller was chewing out his ear.

"How about all those times I hung out with you when nobody else would?...I did that because I loved you, and you tore my heart out...I did for that time we were together, now you're a whore for the government...You dragged me into that mess with Elizabeta!...You fucking bitch!"

I had no idea who he was talking about on the other line. Nor did I envy that person when Niko was ticked off.

"Will you atleast think about it?" He asked.

There was another long pause from him while he listened. For a moment I thought he was going to slam his phone on the floor as his face turned red with anger.

"Well, fuck you then!" He tossed his phone on the couch and he soon followed. He dropped on the couch putting his hands over his eyes.

"Niko, who was that?"

"An old girlfriend of mine." He said to the floor.

He was seeking help from an ex?!

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Karen. Or I knew her as Michelle. She could have helped me. Instead, the bitch turned her back on me."

"You don't think she'll turn you in, do you?"

"No. She and I were friends for a while after we broke apart. Now I see she's still in love with her job. The bitch, she couldn't help me just this once!"

"Do you think she will think about it?"

"If she has a brain, she will. I'll let her think about it for a few days, then I'll call her back."

I gently soothe his nerves by massaging his back. God, he's tense! I'm surprised he didn't burst from being so enraged.

He eventually loosened his nerves, and I felt him relax. I sensed his relaxation and climb behind him and massage his lower back as well.

"Where did you learn to do this?" He asked listfully.

"I just have strong hands, I guess. I didn't learn how to do this. I just do it." I shrug behind him.

"I called Roman before I called Karen. He said he will run something for us to eat."

"He knows where we are? And the whole story on why we are on the run?"

"I told him everything. That way he can help us, too."

"Do you think it's a bad idea to tell him? He could be an accessory for aiding us."

"As long as he keeps his head low."

"And the government won't come looking for him because his last name is Bellic?"

"All he has to do is deny knowing where we are. If he can do that, he'll be okay."

"Roman won't sell us out, will he?"

Niko half turned, and looked at me at the corner of his eye. I insulted him again. Damn it.

"Do you have faith in me, or no?"

"I do, I just don't want this to turn bad for us. The government watches people like us. It's only a matter of time that they involve more of my family or my friends."

"With a case like this, they want as less of people as possible. That way stories don't get screwed up."

He seems to know a lot about this, but I am still not sure. I keep thinking the police are going to bust down the door any second.

There was a knock at the door. Niko shot up from the couch. He grabbed a shot gun from his duffel bag and had it ready to fire. There go those nerves. He's tense again.

He looked through the peep hole, and for a few seconds, I thought it actually was the police. Instead, it was Roman with three pizza boxes, three leiters of soda, and a large bag.

"Here you go, Niko. You're no stranger to being on the run, are you?" He said, putting the boxes on the table. It almost collapsed from such little weight.

The smell of pizza filled the room, and I had no shame as I dove in. Niko chuckled at my ravenous behaviour.

"Why don't you see if your brother wants to eat?" Niko prodded.

I scolded myself for thinking about myself when there is a starving person in the other room. I take a couple of pieces and a drink to him. I see that he has turned to his side a way from the door. I can't tell if he is sleeping or not

"Get away from me." He said in misery.

"I brought you something to eat. It's pizza.

"Who'd you screw to get it here?"

That comment set me off again. I tried being nice, I tried being angry. Now I'm going to try being forcefull.

"Look here you trash, if you don't want to eat, I'm going to shove this down your throat!"

That seemed to alarm Niko and Roman as they both came into the bedroom and saw me holding him down trying to get him to eat something. Both Roman and Niko grabbed my arms and legs to tear me off him.

"She's fucking crazy! I'm outta here!" He jumped off the bed and tried to run away. Niko tackled him from behind and wrestled with him. My brother twisted his body around and elbowed Niko in the nose. His hands covered his face and swore loudly as he rolled in pain. Roman joined in and grabbed my brother's arms from keeping him from hitting Niko in the face again.

"Tie him down with something. I have half the mind to just leave him here to starve!" I shouted.

"You better stop talking like that to your brother!" Niko said, still holding his face. He had a bloody nose from such an impact. It dripped onto the floor where he sat. Some even got onto his shirt.

"It's not like he wants me to be his sister. He's being an asshole whenever I want to help him!" I snap back at Niko.

"What did I tell you before?! It is not him saying those things! You can't talk to him like that!"

"I tried being nice to him. All he did was call me names!"

"He doesn't mean it, Sharon!" His shout boomed throughout the apartment. I stepped back from him and ran into the bathroom. There I sobbed. I never thought I'd be in this big of a mess.

I heard a tap on the door a few minutes later.

"Sharon? It's Roman. Let me in, okay? Let me talk to you."

I hesitate before I let him in. He seemed to be on neutral ground, so I agree to let him in. He sat down on the floor with me and consoled me. My cheeks were burning with frustration, and the cold tears cooled them off. I had a headache that made things much worse.

Roman offered me a bottled water. I notice it was actually Niko's water bottle that he grabbed. It was filled up with tap water. I cry a little more when I think of him.

"Don't let Niko get you upset. He's just under a lot of stress since he took on your brother. He's dealt with tons of drug addicts. Most of them end up getting killed. He's just afraid he might lose your brother too." He stated calmly.

"Why dies he care about my brother so much?"

"Niko thinks that family is the most important thing in the world. He will stop it nothing to see your brother come clean. He's doing this for you, too. He told me that as soon as he saw that the government was after your brother, he wanted to help out. Niko is really a good guy, but he is quick to his temper if his family is in danger. Including you and your brother."

I look at Roman for a second and hic a few times as I calm down a little.

"Do you want to go talk to Niko? He's in tears too. He's really sorry he yelled at you."

That thought of him crying too brought back tears of my own as I plow through the door and run to him. He stands up from the floor where he remained when I was in the bathroom and holds me tightly as I sob hard into his shoulder. I feel him holding back tears of his own as he burried his head into me. His hands gripped my clothes tightly like he's afraid he's losing me.

He pulls me away, and I look at him. He was cleaned up a little with Roman's help. He was already forming a black eye aroung his right eye. I take his face in my hands and fight tears with him.

"Get a room, will ya?"

I hear my brother say, but I ignore him.

"I got to get back to Mila and Mallorie. Just make sure you call me if you need something." He grabbed his keys and turned to us before he left. "And make sure you three don't kill each other?" He said quickly before Niko could retaliate.

"I'm very sorry I yelled at you. I'm sure Roman explained why." Niko said.

"Yeah. He did." I said still hiccupping.

"I just want this to come to a successful conclusion. I don't care what happens to me."

"Well, I do. I want you to be happy with the result along with us. I want you to get what you want."

"I will." He reassured.

We kissed as an apology for the both of us, and all three of us sat and ate. My brother ate alone in the bedroom, but atleast I could be assured he was eating something.

After we ate, Niko tried to look for something to watch on his phone before we all decided to go to sleep and put the rough start behind us. I cuddled closely to him as he searched though movie titles. Finally, he gave up his search saying there's never anything interesting to watch anymore. I laugh a little, too exhausted to have a full laugh. I pick a movie for the both of us. Much to Niko's distaste, it was a romance movie. Something I think we both need to see to help us get back on track on our relationship.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Unexpected assistance"

It had been a whole week since we took up residence in a crappy apartment, with crappy furniture, and crappy everything, but we still held together. I could only assume I was fired from my job for not showing up or answering any of their phone calls. I threw myself into Niko's life, and I hoped he'd be able to support me.

Things were getting a little more peaceful in the atmosphere. My brother actually started a conversation with Niko, asking where he was from. Niko agreed to tell him a little about himself, but not too much, as it would lead to unwanted distrust. He explained to my brother that he and I were dating, and he told my brother how we actually met. It lightened my heart after the days after the fight we had to see my brother laughing. I could only hope that things would get better. It was already at its worst for the three of us.

Then Niko's phone rang. He took it in the other room, leaving myself and my brother alone in the living room.

"I am really sorry I was a dickhead these past couple of days." My brother said.

"No. I was a complete bitch to you. Niko was right. I shouldn't have been so impatient with you. I never knew you had been through so much, but it was hard to get you to open up."

"I promise to be a better brother from now on. Like I was when we were growing up."

"And I promise to be there for you more, and not let you get in these problems."

We stood and met in a hug. It was just what we needed after being so rotten to each other. I offered my brother some of my chinese food that was left over in the refrigerator from yesterday. He declined saying he wasn't hungry yet. We sat in the living room quietly until Niko was done with his phone call. I tried to listen in on his conversation, but he spoke at a low voice. It was roughly twenty minutes later when he came from the bedroom.

"I'm going out." He said sternly. His tone of voice prompted no questions from me or my brother.

He grabbed the blue duffel bag and that large bag Roman brought us a week ago. I knew what was in the duffel bag, and I panicked. This could only mean he's going out to meet with someone, and he doesn't exactly trust them.

I ran to his side as he slung the bag over his shoulder. The sound of steel clanking from from the guns sent chills down my spine.

"Tell me these won't be used." I ask, knowing full well he'll be needing them.

"I hope I won't have to. Keep an eye on your brother. If you need anything, call Roman. Keep low and out of sight. Don't answer the door unless it's me. I love you."

I didn't let him not hear that I loved him. I came right out and said it.

"I love you, too. Be careful." I give him a small kiss before he left.

He took one last look at my brother and I before he went on his mission. I was never told what his plans were, but I figured if he knew what he was doing, he'd want to do it on his own.

I sat next to my brother and told him a few more things about what I've been up to. He informed me he left the mechanic shop to persuit something else. He went to school to do something with computers. He dropped out once he had become too under pressure and started a career in selling drugs. It was an unfortunate path to take, but he told me he was bringing in so much money to pay the school debt he took on. Once he paid off the debt, he started doing drugs. He was pressured into doing them at a bachelor party. A stupid move on his part, he admitted. It was then, he'd lost contact with his friends, and more importantly, his family. He had become a wanted man by the government when he took on more debt from the loan sharks to fund his drug addiction. The government had been watching him for some time. He wasn't too discreet in the sale of cocaine. He was set up by the police. It was a sting operation that went bad. He'd managed to escape, and he hid out in an apartment much like the one we were currently inhabiting. For years, he hung out with the wrong crowd, and still, the government watched him. Waiting for him to make another mistake. It was that day, I was told, when Niko stopped by the government office to ask his favor did they realize that Niko would be the perfect bountyman. Little did they know, Karen had secretly assigned my brother to Niko, so she could make a good mark. It was in this golden opportunity, that Karen didn't realize that Niko would double crossed her, so he could get what he wanted. I guess Niko changed his tune once he found out that he was dealing with my brother, and the government found out that he was dating the contract's sister. It was a huge web of deception. The ball was in Niko's court, and he held it until he could finally shoot. Figuratively and literally.

I decided to call Roman for another favor. We'd owe him big time when this was finished.

"Roman? It's Sharon. Can you do my brother and I a favor? We need clean clothes and stuff to wash up with. We're running low on soap."

"I can do that for my future cousin-in-law." Roman said.

I turn many shades of red.

"Has he said anything to you about marriage?!" I yell.

"No. I'm just saying. When do you need your stuff by?"

"If you can, bring it as soon as possible. And see if you can bring first aid supplies."

"Niko gone on his little rampage?"

"Yes. I'm expecting him to come back all banged up. Can you try to bring it as soon as you can?"

"Sure thing."

"And Roman?" I tone my voice down a little to be discreet. "You don't suppose you can get feminine pads do you?"

Yup. We're gunna owe Roman big time.

"I can do that. Just make sure Niko doesn't want to have sex with you. I'm sure he's a little on edge about that too."

"Roman!" I say defensively.

He of course laughs, and I hang up on him. He's always gotta me a smart ass, but the guy has really got a heart of gold.

It was almost 7 pm, and I was a worried mess. Niko has been gone since 10 am, and I am fearing the worst again. I worry about him like a mother hen. Roman was kind enough to run all of our essentials, including a box of condoms and the comment, 'You'll never know when the time will rise, atleast you'll be ready.'. His comment made be blush with embarrassment. I would also be ready to use the first aid kit, so I can immediately patch up Niko if he came back wounded. But I worry that the police caught him, or worse.

I decide at the late hour of 2 am to try and get some sleep. My brother already passed out three hours ago. I couldn't stay up any longer. It was going to be a restless night without him with me.

The next morning, I was awakened by my brother who said I recieved multiple calls from Niko. I rushed to my phone and called him back. His voice mail was what I got after I called five times. I was filled with horror yet again, thinking Niko was hurt somewhere and in need my help. If he was unable to answer, I try the next best thing. I call Roman.

"Niko didn't come home last night! Is he with you?" I asked in a frenzy to locate him.

"No. I thought he was with you. He never came home? I'll keep my eye out for him."

A knock on the door was heard over my phone call. I look through the peep hole, and I see an unfamiliar woman with brown hair. Niko told me to not answer unless it was him, but despite his warning, I answer the door. What I didn't see through the peep hole brought me to tears. The woman had Niko's arm slung over her shoulder with the rest of his body dragging behind. His head was dropped down. She was covered in his blood, and it covered the back of his head and dripped down his arms. She invited herself in and flopped Niko on the couch. I curse her for not being more careful. I place my hand by his mouth and watch his chest rise and fall. He is still breathing, but he is unconscious. I ran to the kitchen where I had the first aid kit and begin bandaging him up.

"Who did this to him!?" I shout.

"It was his government employers. He was ambushed, and they tried to take him in for questioning. They took his guns and that bag of money he had."

"Why can't they just give him what he wants!?" My shaky hands did the best they could to bind him up. I threw the gauze on the ground in frustration for not being able to take care of Niko's injuries, my inability to stay steady, and the lack of cooperation.

The woman picked up the gauze and began to take over bandaging Niko's wounds. I held his head upward, so she can effectively wrap it. This sudden change caused Niko to wake up. He was groggy, and I told him to not move so fast. It was one thing to have the kit, it was another to not have a bag of ice for his head.

"I warned him they wouldn't work with him, but he wouldn't listen."

"Are you Karen?"

"I am. And you must be Sharon? Niko talked about you the whole time saying he wanted to be with you."

"The whole time?"

"When we were trying to negotiate, he said he wants to be a free legal man here, so he can be with you. Sounds like he has big plans for you and him."

I stop binding his wounds to look at her.

"Why did you rescue him? I thought he didn't trust you."

"He doesn't. But I am the most trustworthy than who he has delt with. I thought it was wrong of my employers to screw him like that, so I worked with him. Niko had been one of our greatest workers, and he did what we wanted him to do without question. He has an unshakable loyalty to those who he serves. It was a shame they took his money without such as a favor for him."

"How much did he have?!"

"One million dollars. He wanted to pay the bond for your brother, get citizenship, and clear his name. It was a lot to ask for, but like I said, he was also loyal and paid in his service to the country as well."

"Why can't you get what you want?" I ask his fading conscious body. "It's not fair to you. All you want is to be free."

"His story is a sad one. He has been dealt a bad hand."

"And this country keeps fucking with him!"

"Shh. We're supposed to be quiet."

"Fuck it! I want you to take me to meet these bastards!"

"That would be a very stupid idea. I have a plan that would make you and him happy."

"I'm listening." I say as I rub Niko's now heavily bandaged arm.

"I have some connections inside that are willing to give Niko what he's after. If Niko agrees to do a few favors for them, they will give him his freedom. They will never bother him again."

"I don't think Niko wants to do more contracts."

"There are only three more, and Niko's services and skill will be perfect for them. You have my word they will give Niko his demands."

"How can we be so sure?"

"Right now, there is no possible way to prove myself. You'll just have to trust me. Niko too."

"Niko says you two dated?" I ask, trying to get more information.

"We dated. Under government surveillance. It was actually Niko who fell in love with me. I didn't love him. It was my job to date him, watch him, and recruit him. That's all you need to know."

She didn't take the bait. Damn.

"My employers know now you are bunkered in here, though. You'll have to come with me to another apartment. It's on the west side farther away from here. We'll have to move during the night. And we'll have to do it tonight."

"Niko's hurt!" I say for him.

"He will be alright. Like he says, he's suffered more than this."

I keep meaning to ask what everyone meant by that. I assumed what Niko said was that he was in a war and suffered far worse during the war. It actually still sounds like he is in a war

"Anyway, we need to start packing everything. We need to move out by morning. If we don't, there's a good chance we will be found out. If that happens, there will be nothing for anyone."

"So, that's your plan? We move an injured person to another apartment?"

"Listen to her, Sharon. I will be okay." I heard a voice behind me. I turned to reguard him. His eyes were still shut, and he had hardly any strength to move. "She's on our side. There's something in this for her, so she won't stab us in the back."

"Rest, Niko. You let me worry about packing." I ease him back down in the couch when he sat up.

"I'll be fine." He said, sitting all the way up.

"Be careful, Niko. Please don't hurt yourself."

He managed to stand up on his own strength. He was wobbly and looked disoriented from his head injury. I wonder what he got hit by.

All of my questions got interrupted again when Karen started going through our things. She was literally throwing our things into the hallway, prompting me to get started.

"Hey, wait a minute! You just can't throw our stuff like that!"

"When we are in danger of being found out, yes I can. Hop to it. We gotta move."

"Niko!" I asked him to back me up, but instead he started gathering all of our garbage and throwing it into a bag.

"We have to go, Sharon. I'll explain to you what's going on later."

"You mean everything?"

"Everything. Now come on."

I went to aid him rather than her. I didn't trust her at all, but if Niko somewhat did, I guess I have to. Also, Niko had a pretty serious blow to the head. I don't want him doing more than he can do.

"Niko?" I trailed off waiting for him to respond. It was mostly to insure he stays conscious.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we are falling apart?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you feel like we weren't meant to last? This whole thing feels like it is taking it's toll on our relationship. We haven't had any alone time for a while."

"I feel like after this is over, we will be inseparable. You have to have patience. Our chance will come."

"What if this doesn't work out?"

"I don't think ahead like that. I think in the now."

I remained silent, so he can finally let me in on what he was doing the whole time.

What I got was Karen barking orders at me to come help her instead.

"Go help her. I'll be okay." He caressed my cheek.

I reluctantly left his side to help her. How dare she take me away from him. I was ensuring he didn't pass out.

"Take these clothes out of here." She demanded rather than asked.

I gathered the clothes up, and I put them on the couch. My brother had cleaned out the bathroom and folded his clothes.

"Take these, and put them in my car." She handed me a bunch of clothes.

I carefully walked down the stairs, making sure I planted my foot on each of the steps. Her car wasn't a car at all. It was a massive suv. We were for sure going to all fit in here.

I tossed the clothes in the back of the SUV, and Niko came outside with bags of trash. He set them on the curb and straightened out his back. I was at his side when I saw him struggling with a pain.

"I'm okay."

He keeps telling me that, but I know he is in some pain. I offer to take the rest of the trash out, but he waves me off saying he doesn't need help. I sit inside the gas guzzler as he goes inside and sigh to collect myself. I am still shook from the sight of his unconscious body and blood dripping over the floor. I can say too that I am in shock from his heavy bandaged self.

He comes back out with three more trash bags and sets them along the curbside. He looks at me rather unreadable. Then he went back inside to help. I wonder what that look was for?

My brother stepped out next, carrying clothes and tosses them in the back with the rest. Karen brought all of the hygiene supplies and threw them next to me.

"Put these on the other side of the seat." She directed.

She seemed to take control of everything when Niko was in command at the start of this, I noticed. I was used to seeing him control everything. A thing that made me feel comfortable for some reason.

Niko came last, having done a sweep of the apartment to ensure everything was out. He went directly in the back of the SUV and waved me to join him. It was going to be a long drive, and I was sure he was going to explain what he was up to the last week.

"Get comfortable. This will be a long story."

I decided to sit facing him to let him know he had my full attention.

"This all started, as you know, when I got that contract to go after your brother. The government traced him in the local area and had been wanting to set up another sting operation. Your brother had been a little too careless in his last few transactions, and they knew he would slip up for one last time. They actually wanted me to go with them on the sting operation, but once I saw the last name, I declined. Well, they didn't like that too much. They wanted me because I wouldn't fuck up the operation."

By this time, Karen and my brother got in the SUV, and Karen made her way through the streets.

"They continued to harass me until I would agree. That's the day they called, and I said I was going out. I knew it would lead to this, but I still tried my plan. I had one million dollars in that bag to pay off your brother's fine, clear my file, and get my citizenship. I'm sure Karen told you that bit already."

I nod to confirm.

"But things went bad. The government official who worked with me to help me get Darko Brevic into the country thought that it would be too costly to allow me to walk away from future contracts. Karen was alongside in this, but she saw how they disagreed to help me. She took it upon herself to defend me when the bullets started flying. I got attacked, but thankfully I wasn't shot. I was taken by surprise when a sneak attacker tried to knife me. He sliced my arm and hit me over the head with a brick. Karen saw this and shot the guy who attacked me and pulled me away from danger. She escaped with me, and I told her where we were staying."

"Why did it take so long for you to get back? I was so worried."

"All that happened in that time. It took hours to work on an agreement that we would both he satisfied with. He kept taking from me and wanted me to do more. I told him the deal is off, and he took the weapons and my bag when I went unconscious. I tried to call you to tell you where I was, but it got harder to focus. Eventually, my phone battery died."

"So, we are basically playing a game with my brother's life."

"It's not like that at all. We are trying to get your brother out of trouble. I tried paying his way out. I saved him when the sting operation almost had him. He is not safe as long as the feds are after him."

I keep striking a nerve with him. I kept quiet as I sat next to him in the back. He looked out the window not establishing eye contact with me, but I kept looking at him every once in a while to see anything from him. The rest of the ride was kept in silence except for Roman texing Niko a few times.

The apartment we arrived at was slightly better looking on the outside. I suppose Karen's connections helped us out after all. The inside was recently cleaned, and it had decent furnishings. The only downside was it was another one bedroom apartment. That meant with the more bodies adding themselves in this fiasco, people had to find other places to sleep. Karen made no attempts in stalling. She claimed the bedroom for her own, leaving Niko and I on the couch and my brother on the air mattress provided by Karen's contacts.

"Can I have a minute alone with you, Sharon?" Niko asked.

"Okay." I replied, although I was nervous of what he was going to say.

He took me in the back of the apartment complex and asked me to sit with him on the bench overlooking a rather picturesque sight of the lake.

"I'm just coming out with it. I didn't appreciate your comment earlier. I thought you said you trusted me. Do you, or not?"

"I do, Niko. I really do."

"So, what's with you? You say you trust me, then you make a comment like that? I am only trying to help your brother out. There is nothing else in this for me except what I want. Your brother was not apart of this to begin with. In all honesty, it is Karen who you should be upset at. She's the one making a name for herself with your brother's file."

I hung my head. I didn't know what to say. I made Niko angry.

"I'm so sorry. You have to understand that I have never done this sort of thing. Being on the run from the law was something I never wanted to do in my life."

"Well, if that's the case, maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore after this. I told you I had been doing things like this ever since I got to this country."

"But you said you wanted to start over and have a new life!" I told him with my heart shattering before him. "Who else to share it with than me?"

"I need you to trust me more and not question me on this. I am no stranger to these situations. Can I get that from you?"

"I'll give you my trust." I tell him.

"Good. Let's go back inside. I feel someone watching us."

My eyes dart left and right, yet nobody is around. Niko must have a sixth sence.

He takes me hand and leads me back inside the apartment where Karen is in a heated phone call of her own. Niko and I remain silent as we enter.

"You know full well the risk of this, and you managed to fuck it up on purpose?"

Niko took the opportunity at a distracted Karen to take over the bedroom. He led me into the bedroom where Karen left her gun as her way to let us know the room was claimed. He took the holster it was in and placed it in the living room. He entered the bedroom, and I saw that he locked the door.

"This is our room now." He said as he forgot he was all bandaged up and tossed himself on the bed. I could tell it wasn't a soft bed as he recoiled in a little pain.

"You okay?"

"I am fine. It was stupid of me to do that, and now I pay for it. Come lay with me. It's been a long time since we could be alone."

I sat with him on the bed and he crawled next to me, placing each leg on my sides. He cuddled with me, and I feel myself backing into him. I needed his love for a while now, but I tried to not make it noticeable when he was trying his best to find the time to be alone.

His yelp of pain made me realize that I leaned on him a little too much, and I tried to move away. He clung to me, holding me closer.

"This is for you and me. Don't run away."

"I hurt you." I tell him.

He moved closer to whisper in my ear.

"Love me."

His message made me quiver, and I tried to turn to him to kiss him.

"Love me, and stay with me." He repeated.

I gave up trying to kiss him. I instead lift my arms and place them behind his neck gently.

"Don't be afraid." He whispered again.

This simple act made my mind race with the need to please him.

His hands found my breasts and he kneeded them. He moaned behind me and I felt him getting hard against my backside.

A hard pounding at the door was all it took to ruin the moment we were having.

"You two better not be fucking on my bed!" Karen called from the other side.

Niko took his shoe off and threw it at the door.

"Go get fucked yourself, Karen." His words shot at her.

She began to attempt to break the door down, but she wasn't strong enough.

"Too bad your condoms are out here!"

We both heard her shaking the box.

"There are so many other ways to get what we want without those!"

"Seriously, Niko! This isn't the time or the place to be doing that!"

"I think this is exactly the right time and exactly the right place to do this."

"Let's just ignore her, Niko. She's probably jealous she lost out on you and she wants you for herself."

"That's disgusting."

"Too bad. Karen is jealous of Niko and I. She wants Niko's hot body and larger than normal cock. It's all mine, Karen. My Niko and I will cover these sheets with our arousal. It's basically our bed now." I mocked her.

"You two will pay for this." She warned.

"Oh, no. I shit my pants." Niko laughed.

That made me laugh with him and at his beligerance. He was being stubborn, and I could tell this wasn't the first time he toyed with her dominion like this.

In the end, she gave up. Her silence confirmed she had no power in the bedroom we were in. Her attempt only hindered what was going on.

He placed his forehead on my back and held in a small laugh. It was hard for me to believe as he relished in the victory. I was sure he'd be in trouble, but he didn't care.

"Turn around and face me."

I complied to him as always. I sat on his lap wrapping my legs around him.

"How do you feel about eating out?"

"We can't, Niko. The police are watching us."

"And I thought I was from another country." He smiled. "You missed my hint." He looked down in his lap and saw he was about to rip through his trousers.

"Oh!"

Blonde monent.

"I've had my ex's do it to me before. I don't mind it."

"But did your ex's know what I know? I know a few things that will make you scream."

"I'd rather not scream." I laughed.

"Then be quiet. Don't make a sound." His face was so close to mine, I got goosebumps.

"If you are as good as you say you are, I'll have the neighborhood wondering what's going on."

"I'm sure you'd like the audience. You are so beautiful."

I flush again. Damn him for being so forward.

Even though he was cut up and beaten, he still managed to lift me from his lap and lay me down. There was something numbing the pain because he made no complaint.

He urged me to take off my shirt as he took in the sight. My breasts were still clamoring for more attention from him as they seemed to call to him. His eyes were currently on them as he took in my smooth as silk skin. I saw his cheeks turning red as his arousal was almost at its peak.

"I could lick you from head to toe. I want to taste you. Show me how bad you want me."

His lust was apparent in his husky voice, and that only made my body thump. His appetite for sex was getting me going even harder than before.

I saw him tugging at his trousers. The confinement must have been killing him. His need to release himself from his trousers was ignored by himself. His attention was on me as he watched me tease myself.

"Tell me how you want me to please you."

"Niko. I want you to suck my tits."

He was on me in seconds, moving his mouth over my nipples. I let him have full access to me when I lifted my arms up around my head. He moans at this consent to do as he wishes.

"Oh, Niko." I groaned out.

This signaled something in his mind that I could no longer wait. And something in mine signaled that he couldn't either. He pulled himself away from my chest. His saliva covered my nipples, making them react to the cold. His eyes were filled with a yearning I have never seen in any of my ex's. His need was to bring me to my release. He slid off the bed and commanded me to take off my pants.

"You're begging to have yours ripped off too. Why don't you get naked with me?"

"In time. This is for you."

That didn't make me feel any better. His need was probably doubled. So, I slid off the bed and stood in front of him. He made no movements as I unbuckled his belt.

"Straight to the point?" He said. I think his double entendre was meant.

"When it's you, yes."

I unbuttoned his trousers with one hand as my other rubbed his cheek. I kissed him and it ignited my senses. He tasted so good to me, and I still wanted more of him. He tilted his head to deepen our kiss. He slid his tongue into my mouth this time, and I was comforted by him. His tongue coated mine, and I whimpered into his kiss.

I finally got my brain back and continued my mission to bring him out. His hands stopped mine as he continued to kiss me. He placed my hands on his chest, and I began to grope his pecs. He held me closer to him as he took control of the kiss.

"You don't have patience, do you?" He said in a sigh.

"No! Stop teasing me. Please!" I craved him so badly.

"We can't have sex, you know. So, why not enjoy this?"

"I am enjoying this. I need you."

He grinned at my comment. His next move was placing me on the bed. He pulled down his trousers only exposing the base of his penis.

I bent over slightly to kiss his semi exposed shaft. He looked down and ran his fingers through my hair. I wanted him even more when he thrusted his hips into me. I wanted him to lose the control he had. I achieved it when he sent his shirt flying and dropped his trousers.

"Suck me off. Do it now." His harsh words sent my juices flowing again.

My mouth latched on, and I sucked him off as instructed.

"Ah! That's a good girl. You look pretty down there with my dick in your mouth."

I look up at him and he has a mischievous grin on his lips. A look that told me he savored my mouth on him. His shaft was too lengthy as I tried to take him in. The gagging sounds seemed to gratify him. His head streching my cheek out as I took him at different angles. I found his balls, and to his delight, I played with them.

"You're a little tart. And you said you couldn't take me."

I let up in order to talk. My hands continue to do what my mouth did.

"That was before I knew I could. Now I know I can."

He stopped what my hands were doing despite his throbbing penis's objections, and he asked me to stand. He kissed me again and directed me back to the bed. I lay back on the bed once more with him trapping me under him.

"I think it's time for me to taste you. I've waited long enough."

He traveled so painfully slow, kissing a path down my body. He tangled his fingers in my pubic hair, raising goosebumps everywhere. His hands coaxed my legs open and another pulse of arousal reached my vagina. He laid between my knees. His shoulders prevented me from closing up on him. He thumbed me open and found my pleasure bulb. The air made me tingle with joy. He didn't start tasting me yet, he simply took in my wet flesh.

"Желим да знате, ово је лепше него што сам замишљао."

His breath teased me to arousing new heights for I knew what was next. His mouth hooked onto me, and he flicked his tongue over my clitorous. I never felt such ecstasy. Not even when my ex boyfriend's did this. He knew exactly what I wanted, and he did it well. Sucking and popping sounds came from between my legs as he sampled me, savoring my wetness. I was too taken by him that I didn't realize he slid his index finger in me and stimulated my innards.

"God, Niko!" I called out to the ceiling.

My back arched as he did the deed. Another finger found its way inside me, and they both traveled together inside. They managed to find my g spot, and I hollared out in bliss.

He did this for a few minutes, then, another finger joined inside. It was slightly painful as his fingers journeyed inside. He pulled his face away as he continued to finger my pussy.

"You are simply exquisite."

I chose not to look at him only because I couldn't lift my head from the pillow. He made his way up my body, trailing his tongue up to my breasts. He kissed them, swirling his tongue around my nipples. After his attention to them, his lips found mine. I could taste myself in his mouth. Something I found extremely erotic.

Our lips seperated, so we can catch up with ourselves. He lightly kissed my lips to tease me, and that sent me into a frenzy.

"Niko! I need you!" I put my whole lust into what I said.

His response was to kiss me more deeply and rub my clitorous hard as his three fingers pushed upward. My orgasm knocked me out, and when I came back from the euphoria, he had himself positioned just outside of me. My vagina throbbed from his rampaging fingers, and I wanted more.

"Niko, we can't do this." I remind him of our condom problem.

That didn't stop him. What I said went in one ear and out the other as he slid inside me. His flesh inside of mine without a rubber exhilarated me. He basically claimed me as his own as he rocked me in the bed with his thrusting.

My mouth held agape as he moved me completely taken by his movements. I was drenched in arousal which made his pleasure amplified as he effortlessly plunged in me. The bed frame creaked and the mattress springs squeaked, and that was when it was more than just sex. It was deep passionate love.

"Sharon, you feel so good to me. Наша љубав је вечна." His speech matched his rythm.

All I could do is blankly state at the ceiling while he filled me. He buried his head into the juncture of my neck and a low groan escaped him. I guess it was taking over him as well.

His withdraw moments later made me hunger for him. I selfishly whimpered like a child. I understood why he departed from me. His orgasm must have been near. He climbed over me like last time and stroked himself over my chest. I rubbed his inner thighs urging him on.

"What the hell am I doing?" He asked himself and crawled back down to my vagina.

His mouth covered me again almost ravenous. Like I was his first meal in days. His tongue teased me now as he licked me just barely touching my clit. This sent waves of frustration because I knew he wanted to lick me. I decided to rub myself as he licked me. This was unexpected by him as he lifted his head with curiosity.

"Do you like playing with yourself?"

"Yes!" The enjoyment escaped me again.

"And here I am trying to teach you to last longer." He chuckled.

"Not this time, Niko. Give it to me." My brashness excited me as an orgasm came over me.

Niko thought it was a good idea to mangle his fingers along with mine, so there were 4 fingers after my pleasure. I couldn't take it anymore as I let Niko continue on. One hand on me and his other on himself as he beat himself to the stroking of my clit. Something exploded inside me and my release came all over his fingers and dripped slowly down my ass. His orgasm came seconds later, and I saw him soak his hand.

"What a mess." He laughed.

He played with our juices, and he sampled the bead of sex that made it on his finger.

"I absolutely love your taste. It was as delicious as I imagined."

He rose above me again and made me lick his mess up off his finger. I did the service for him again. I silently hope there will be more. I couldn't get enough of him.

"Do you love the taste of me?"

"You are addictive."

He chuckled and laid his body next to mine as we still recovered.

"I could get used to this, my sweet Serbian lover."

He chuckled and rolled over on his side. Somehow his penis laid on my thigh. How long is he!?

"I could too, my прекрасан анђео са неба."

I really need to know full Serbian.

"My beautiful angel from Heaven." He murmured his translation to my shoulder.

He was exhausted, and I managed to pull my arm out from under him. I rubbed his back to let him know it is okay to fall asleep. I remained awake by his side to ensure he'd be okay after having sex with a head injury. I was no doctor, and we probably shouldn't have had sex to begin with, but he and I were lusting for this for a while. His light breathing was all I needed to confirm that he drifted off.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"How to train a killer"

The next couple of days were spent in awkward silence. Mostly between my brother and Karen. He had no idea where this woman came from. Her rough authoritive attitude scared him into thinking she was a cop. He was too afraid to ask. I assumed if he didn't know, the better off he'd be.

Karen and I hated each other. I could feel the looks she gave me. I thought she would one day get into a physical fight over Niko, not because she claims she didn't love him which I guessed to have some truth, but because she constantly nagged him. Making him do things that he shouldn't be doing. He was forced to do some intense workouts and training in hand to hand combat, telling him he'd gone soft since the last time she met him. It was degrading him, and I could tell she was changing him into the mindless killer for the government. She also reviewed her plan multiple times that I even understood what it was. It was being drilled into his head, so he would not second guess her. I put my two cents in by saying this plan was stupid.

"It is only 3 targets they want him to eliminate. Niko has killed more than that with a low price to match."

"That doesn't mean he's okay with doing more! He wants out, and your employers told him to his face he was done. It's no wonder he keeps saying this country let him down."

"Niko will never be the man you want him to be."

Her comment made me fill with rage, and I tackled her to the ground. All her training didn't prepare her for me to get the first blow to her. She regained the upper hand and threw me off, but she didn't hit me at all.

"I don't want to hurt you. There is no reason for me to, but do know if you do that again, I will put you down."

My brother upon witnessing this, went to the other side of the room and sat. He wanted nothing to do with a cat fight. I sat myself in the kitchen and started up my game to calm my raging blood. Karen sat farther away from my brother and turned the television on to see what wasn't on. Niko emerged from the bathroom just finishing a shower from his last hard morning workout. He must have picked up on the heavy atmosphere. He was probably able to hear shouting and fighting.

He found his way to me in the kitchen and grabbed himself something to eat. The smell of him fresh out of the shower sent my brain flowing down an imaginary river.

"So, what'd I miss?" He said, sitting down at my table.

I lean close to him, so no other ears but his can hear.

"She is nuts."

He laughed slightly as he was eating a muffin for lunch and made sure he didn't choke. She's got him on a strict diet.

"She just wants me to get stronger." He whispered.

"I don't want you to get stronger. I like you the way you are. I don't want you to be some hulking beast of a man."

My words must have made his mind picture him as such because he threw his head back with laughter. This made me laugh too at his merriment.

"That's not going to happen. I don't want to become like Brucie."

"Who's Brucie?"

"Some meat head who does steroids and shit. If I didn't know any better, he probably has muscles around his brain."

"I see."

"It won't come to that. I promise. I am doing all this for you."

I think Karen was wrong that I can't change Niko. Niko can change, and that is also for him to decide. I'm only helping him along.

Karen suddenly stood from her corner and walked to our table. Like the bitch that I was to her, I scowled at her. I warned her with my eyes that if she touched him, she'd die. She pulled at Niko's arm, and I was in her face in less than a second.

"Sharon, calm down." He said before things got out of hand. He must have known I hated Karen.

"She won't take you away from me this time. You worked out enough."

"Sit down." She barked. "Niko needs his training."

"He needs his rest! Can't you see he's still hurt!?"

She ignored my plea and demanded Niko to get up. He responded by standing up and waited for his next order. She told him to take the stairs fifty times inside the apartment complex to strengthen his legs. Even though the apartment complex was twenty stories high, he did so without question. I glared at her threateningly, but I made no action. She grinned rather smugishly. Every fiber of my being hated her now. But I kept thinking what Niko told me. He said he was doing this for me, for us. To finally be together. I guess he agreed to the contracts he had. She was whipping him into shape even though he was in great shape. He had the best set of abs I've ever seen...best not to think about that too long.

Her exit from the apartment to hurl negative insults like a drill sergeant made me slip in my rage and take it out on the nearby wall. My hand recoiled from the impact, and the small hole in the wall did nothing to ease my anger. My anger was on Karen, who belittled my boyfriend as he struggled up and down the stairs.

I heard him coming down the stairs, and I stopped him. Beads of sweat drizzled down his face. I offered him some water to help him along and positively coach him on what a good job he was doing, hoping to counteract her negative swear words.

"Don't listen to her. She is being so mean to you."

He chugged the water down and sucked on an icecube. He looked at me as if to tell me what he tells me all the time now while he was working on this. I lower my head in sadness. Why was everything so damn hard for him?

"Be patient. I am sure you and Karen aren't getting along." He said in a low voice.

"Isn't that obvious!" I said a little too loudly.

"Get your ass going, Niko! You still have twenty five more times to go, and you're only putting yourself behind."

Niko gave me a quick kiss on my cheek, and somehow I thought it was for him too. Something to motivate him as he continued on with the staircase. She looked at me again, and this time I couldn't hold back the damn of swear words.

"Ти кучко! You better not hurt him, or I swear you'll have to deal with me!" I threaten when he gets to higher floors.

"I see he's taught you some Serbian, but that proves you are blinded by him. He is no gentleman. He's playing with you. He is a killer, and once he's gotten a taste for that, there will be no changing him. He's a tool for the government, and will never end up with you. As far as I can see it, your relationship will end after this. I guarantee he will not settle with you."

Her lack of confidence in him was wearing on me. Why did she want to help us be together, when she was discouraging our relationship? Was she planning on two-timing Niko? She didn't sit right with me, and Niko was playing right into her hand.

"You better watch what you say. We will be together no matter what you say. He and I. Not with you. I can see through you. You want him. You love him. Why else would you not want him to be with me? I tell you this, I am willing to fight you for him, and you will lose."

"Don't flatter yourself. I wouldn't waste my time with him. I have seen him in the nude, and I was almost going to lose my lunch. And the government will insure your incarceration if you harm me in any way." Her superiority was shown through and had many volumes.

I was ready to attack her with another verbal onslaught when my brother pulled me inside. The sound of Niko's footsteps decending down the staircase was approaching, and I ran to get him another water to keep him hydrated. By the time I filled the glass, he'd already ran past me. I frowned at my lack of quickness, and she called to Niko.

"Hurry up you slow sorry excuse of a man. You're not working hard enough!"

His footsteps stop, and I hear him collapse and plop down.

"Get up!" She called down to him.

I shove her out of the way, and took the staircase two stairs at a time. He was sitting on the stair absolutely winded. His injuries were getting the best of him, I only assumed.

"Niko." I cried to him.

"I'm okay. I just need a break."

"Come back upstairs. Take a break there." I tried to get him back on his feet, but his legs wobbled under him.

"I must be out of shape. I feel pathetic."

"You worked hard today. I'm proud of you, my sweet."

My comment earned a weak smile from him.

"Thank you."

I slung his arm over my shoulder to assist him up the stairs.

"Please show patience. I know she is being a bitch, I am doing what she says to get this over with. I can't wait to be with you." His anticipation came through his words.

"She is hurting you though. I've never seen a man work as hard as you. She's got you by the cock and won't let go."

"She will let go in the end. We will be free."

We get back upstairs completely ignoring Karen's shouting and harsh words and sit down on the couch. She only followed us in and ordered Niko to get back up, or she'll add more to his training regime.

His ignorance made her square up with Niko as he sat.

"For God's sake! Will you leave him alone! He's exhausted!" I yell.

"Do you want him to be all flabby and easily subdued when it's time for him to take out these targets?"

"He's not flabby! He's rock solid! Sure he's gone soft in his emotions, but that only means he isn't the brainless killer you make him out to be! Now leave him alone!"

"Be easy, Sharon." Niko lightly warned.

I kept my silence. Over fifty arguments came to my tongue, and I tried to have them melt away as I obeyed Niko's wish.

She was still squared up with Niko. I guess she missed the hint.

"It's time for your combat training. Get up."

He stood up, but didn't advance to her yet. I looked up at him as he looked out the window with a strange look on his face. It almost looked like he was going to get even with Karen with a mixture of joy and anger.

"You know what, Karen? I think I figured out why you're so miserable. You need to get yourself laid. You probably didn't have sex since the last time we did. And now I am gone from you, you won't have sex with anyone else. I gave it to you so good that you won't fuck anyone else because I have that good Serbian cock you lust for. Did I just figure you out?"

I held back the world's loudest laugh as Niko just completely destroyed Karen's character with the world's best roast. I waited for her reaction.

"No, Niko. I have not had sex with anyone else. Do you want to know why?" She tested.

"Enlighten me, Karen as to why you are such a bitch." He crossed his arms acrossed his chest as he turned to her.

"Because sex with you was so awful that I thought it can't get any better."

"That's ridiculous. You know as well as I do that you can't get any better than this." He presented himself as the show model of king of sex.

She made gagging noises to illustrate her distaste in his claim. I peeped in to back him up.

"Oh, God. He is simply the best. When he rattles it in me just right and with his head streching me out. Oh! Bliss! Pure bliss."

Even Niko was in shock at my detailed words. His eyebrows shot up to match.

"Nice!"

"I can't take it." She made relching noises.

"So, step off, or we will show you what you're missing out on!" I said audaciouly.

"Alright! Alright! I'll give him the rest of the day off. Please keep your clothes on." She held her hands up.

Niko did nothing to stop a vigourous arm pump and sat back down. He and I fooled around on the couch, and I heard her gagging from the other room.

The rest of the day was spent in blissful snuggling and kissing. I really enjoyed his touch, and surprisingly, that was enough for me. I didn't want to get too physical with him. It took me a while to recover from his sex a few days ago. In the back of my mind, I knew his real training was about to get more severe.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Freedom isn't free"

Contract number one

Niko's training regimine got expedentially harder as the days drew closer to his contract agreement. The poor thing had to wake up at 4 am, be ready to work out by 5 am, which consisted of heavy pushups with either Karen sitting on his back or putting weights on him that she got from her department, having Niko do pushups with alternating arms one at a time. By 7 am it was time to climb his staircase of doom fifty times. By 9 am, it was time for a jog around the block with a minimum of thirty times. By noon, it was time for his combat training, which consisted of defensive and offensive techniques. The poor thing had bruises all over his body. By 3 pm it was time for his meditation, which she didn't allow him to think of anything else but his goal. One stray thought earned him fourty pushups. How she was able to tell if his thoughts strayed is beyond me. Sometimes she'd just make him do fourty pushups because she had suspicions. 5 pm was "our time", and for an hour, Niko got to sit with me and have diner. By 6 pm, he was using the weighted training equipment. He was to do pull ups over fifty times to build up arm muscle incase he was in a hand to hand fight. To my suprise, he did this for three weeks without wavering once. He has an amazing willpower to see things through. You gotta give him that.

"Today is the day, Niko. Are you ready for your first contract?" Karen asked.

How can you be ready to kill people? I silently wondered.

"I guess I am."

"You better be. One screw up, and it's done with you. Your life is on the line here, and I won't be held responsible if you die."

What a terrible thing to say!

"Then I am ready." He said more determined.

He was handed the first file. It was pretty thick with papers, photos, and information about who he was after. I guessed he was to do these contracts one at a time. I preferred him do it that way.

He gathered what he needed, including another blue duffel bag which was filled with new weapons Karen's contacts got for him. I inwardly frowned knowing he was going through with this. He must have picked up on my thoughts. He was by my side once he threw the bag over his shoulder. His hand lifted my head to look him in the eye. It's the price he had to pay to be free.

His mouth was on mine in a passionate kiss. It lasted shorter than I'd liked. My hands found his chest. I gotta say, in the short training session he had with Karen, he was even more ripped.

"Thank you for having amazing patience during these last few weeks. It was hard for you, but we will be rewarded in the end."

"Please come back to me safely, Niko. I want to be with you after all this."

"Believe me. I want you as bad as you want me."

With that, he left.

I turned to the bitch, Karen and scowled at her.

"Are you going with him?!"

"Nope. This is what he needs to do on his own. He wants his freedom? This is all him."

"How can you say that! Go help him! I sure as shit don't want you here!"

"I need to keep an eye on your brother. He's a wanted man as long as the police want him. Until Niko fulfills his end of the bargain, he will be watched. You don't need to worry about Niko either. He is a trained killer."

"He is not a killer!"

"Has he not told you anything?"

"He told me all about himself. I know what he's done."

"Then you're a fool. A fool who was tricked into his game. He made it out that he had no other alternatives, I bet."

"No. He didn't. He didn't pretend that what he's done wasn't wrong. And he didn't sugar coat anything. The reason why I stayed with him is because I know he can change. He still has humility. He still has honor and integrity. He fights for what he believes in even if his way is wrong. Atleast he has a mind of his own and not a pawn for the government who doesn't have what he has!"

"He's still a killer, and if you don't watch, he'll kill you. Don't say I never warned you."

I sealed my mouth shut. I was afraid of what I would say next. Niko told me to have patience for him, and I was trying my absolute best not to strangle her with my bare hands. Before I could say one more thing, she turned on her heel and went into the bedroom. I sat on the couch and prayed that Niko would return after all this.

"She's a total cunt." My brother said.

He remained quiet throughout the weeks of Niko's training to not get in the way. He knew that Niko's success also had a significance to his freedom as well.

"She is the definition of cunt. It's no wonder Niko dumped her ass. She's hateful! I don't think she has one nice thing to say about anyone."

"Well, with her here, it seems she's in control. We better do as she says, so this plan doesn't backfire on us."

"As repulsive as it may seem, you have a point. We need to keep together during this, so Niko doesn't have to worry about us either."

"It's pretty creepy to know that right now your boyfriend is killing someone." He shivered.

"But he has to do this. And it's not like he's killing innocent people. These people were destined for death. These guys murdered people as well. Before I really got to know Niko, he told me he was responsible for the death of a guy. Do you remember? There were no witnesses, no suspects. Nothing. The guy Niko killed was responsible for killing a bunch of people and went into hiding. Niko is the guy they send in to fish out these guys, so they don't have to send in officers and risk their lives. Niko is their bait man basically."

"That's pretty fucked up."

"It really is, but the agents who assign people like him are willing to let Niko go if he gets three of the most wanted criminals. It seems pretty noble to me. If you think about it, he's risking his life to bring justice to those who lost their loved ones." A huge swell of a very powerful emotion came over me, and I realized that Niko is really a hero. He risks his life to ensure the safety of the officers and community from the worst kinds of people. Even though his employers are complete assholes to him, he still goes after the targets he is assigned. This makes my eyes well up, realizing that he could also die, and he could simply be replaced by another hired gun.

"If he dies, I can't replace him." I cry wildly.

My brother is there in seconds to keep me comforted.

"I'm sure Niko has a way of doing things like this, and I'm sure he's a pro. Otherwise, these guys never would have hired his services."

"I guess you're right. Still, I can't help it worry. I really think he is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I can't if he dies."

"Give me a break!" Karen called out from the other room.

I really wanted to go in there and smother her with her pillow until she stopped breathing, but my brother looked at me. I remained seated instead.

The day drug on from that moment on. My brother tried to keep my mind preoccupied by playing card games, games on my phone, watching God awful movies and then making fun of the horrible acting, plot, and cheesy one liners. We cooked diner and ate together, excluding on purpose Karen. We laughed and talked about the days when we were younger with our wild imaginations. I called the family letting everyone know I was okay, and I found my missing brother. I informed my family that I found love, and their immediate response was to bring him over. Not telling them he was currently killing someone was obviously not the right thing to say, so I tell them that I will bring him by sometime soon when work wasn't being a total ass to him. The phone call was enough to satisfy my family and in letting them know my brother was doing well.

Roman called hours later around 10 pm in a drunken stupor looking for Niko. He wanted to see if he and I wanted to go bowling and wanted to know if we can pick him up. I politely decline his offer of nighttime fun and games at the alleys and tell him we should go soon. Roman made a begging protest, saying we need to get out more as he completely forgot Niko's mission. I tell Roman he's too drunk and urge him to go to sleep. He must have dropped his phone or something because he hung up. I thought nothing of it, and I came up with the completely rational reason that Roman must be an angry drunk. I was sure he'd apologize tomorrow if he remembers what happened.

Karen passed out around midnight, my brother was fading fast, but I was wide awake with worry. Niko has been gone all day and not one text or phone call yet on how he was doing. It might be too much to ask from him, sure but if he had a minute...

My phone jungles my notification tune. Speak of the devil! It's Niko!

Hey, how are you holding up? I'm on my way back to the apartment. Is everyone asleep?

My fingers fly across my phone keyboard. Typos and horrible grammar everywhere.

Kiko! Omg! Irs you! Ate yoy okat? Ivw beeb sp worrief avour you! Whetr are yoy?!

Niko, I'm sure read the message as best as he could as he decoded the new foreign language.

I am okay. I thought you'd be asleep, but I am glad you aren't. Who's Kiko?

I silently laugh as I read how horrible my message looked. This time, knowing he is okay, I make sure my message was more readable

Sorry, I was just such a nervous wreck all day. My fingers don't even know what they are typing. Where are you? Are you okay?

As Niko replied, I forraged up something for him to eat and drink to show him support for his hard work, and to show him I still care.

I will be home in 5 minutes. I snatched a car from the hood. Don't be scared if you see a big truck pull up. It's me. I'll try to be quite to not wake up everyone.

My simple reply of "K" let him know that I was waiting for him with barely any patience left. My patience ran out when he came through the door as I ran to him and jumped into his arms. He caught me in mid air, and I wrapped my arms and legs around him. He easily supported me from his workout. I guess I should thank Karen..

"I was so worried about you." I say in-between smothering him in kisses.

"I was fine. You shouldn't worry about me."

"But I do!" I say quietly.

I look at him to see if he needed any binding. Thankfully, he has no wounds.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." He chuckled as I searched him head to toe for injuries.

"I whipped you up something to eat." I tell him bashfully.

"Thank you. I am a little hungry." He mentioned and sat himself at the kitchenette.

I brought him the left overs I had for diner. I didn't have much of an appetite when he was gone. He started eating and I brought him some water. He thanked me, and I sat and watched him eat.

"So." I trailed.

"So?"

"So, what happened? Did you get the guy? Who was he? Tell me everything."

"I'd rather not talk about it to you. Besides, I am trying to eat."

"Oh, I know. Will you tell me another time?"

"I don't think so. I just want this to be a distant memory of mine. Not yours. I think you're too innocent to hear."

"Too innocent? Хајде, Niko. Tell me what happened."

"Радије бих да не знате кога сам убио, јер ако сте знали, неко би могао да вас пронађе. Желим да ово буде само моје бреме."

"What?"

He smiled at me. He thought I was doing something productive like learn more Serbian.

"I would rather you not know the face of the man who I killed. I don't want you to become hunted. It's for your saftey."

"You don't think someone will come after the girlfriend of the assassin? Реци ми шта се десило, Niko."

He sighed heavily. He knew I was right. He put his glass of water down and stared into my eyes.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes."

"His name was Justin Staller. He was in the drug cartel business selling dope across the country. His organized crime spree ended when I used my sniper rifle from above, putting a bullet between his eyes. It wasn't easy getting somewhere where I could get a clean shot. I had to fly in. Luckily, the police let me use a helicopter and I was able to get the shot from on a roof top. I got away using the chopper and no injuries from me."

"So, if it was so easy, why couldn't the police take him out? Why did they have you get involved?"

"I just said it wasn't easy."

"Sounded easy to me."

"That's because it sounded easy. I didn't mention how many men I had to take out to get close enough to get the shot. And landing a helicopter on a roof top making sure I didn't alarm anyone in the process and get shot down wasn't easy. I also had to scope out the area for who was around, I had to wait for him to be visable by the rifle, and I had to make sure I got away before I was shot. Does that sound easy to you?"

Oops. I pissed him off again.

"Um, no. It doesn't. But that still doesn't answer my question as to why they even needed you."

"The police officers need me because these contracts are extremely high risk. People like me are sent in with nothing to lose, and only care about money."

"So, you had nothing to lose. But now you do."

"That's why I am extra careful not to fuck up. There are only two more to do, and I am sure I am going on the next one tomorrow. I better get to sleep." He stood up and put his food back in the refrigerator and chugged the rest of his water.

"It looks like we have the couch this time."

"Karen took the bed." I resented.

He dismissed the potential fight for it and proposed we go to sleep.

"I'm sure I have to get up early again, and it's almost midnight. I need plenty of sleep to stay sharp."

"So, sex is out the window tonight?"

He laughed an obvious answer and laid on his back. I couldn't resist my Niko bed.

"I hope I am as comfortable as my bed back at home." He said as I crawled on him.

It didn't take too long to get comfortable. His shallow breathing made it easy for me to drift off into a deep sleep. The last thing I remember was him rubbing my back and constantly repeatedly in a featherlight whisper:

"Лепо спавај, љубави. Ускоро ћемо бити заувек."


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"A close call"

Contract number 2

I woke up about 9 am. Somehow Niko managed to wiggle out from underneath me and go off on his next contract. I frowned when he didn't bother to wake me to atleast say goodbye, but I guess he was in a hurry. My brother got the idea to make breakfast for me and himself. It wasn't anything special. Thank goodness Karen's contacts pulled through and got the bare essentials for meals. I was pretty sick of ordering pizza and Chinese. I wondered if Niko was good at cooking.

"Thank you. This was very kind of you." I say as my brother placed a plate of food in front of me.

"It's the least I could do for you and Niko for helping me. I don't suppose he told you what happened yesterday."

"He told me he was successful in the first contract. That's all he said."

"It's pretty crazy that I should be thanking him for doing these for me. I mean, thanking someone for killing someone?"

"You don't need to thank him. In fact, you shouldn't thank him." Karen added.

I glared at her as she came into the living room. She was in the bedroom for a long time. I knew she was awake. What she was doing in there I kind of want to know. If she is planning on screwing us in the end, I want to know.

"I think we should! He's out there right now risking his life for us!"

"He's out there right now for himself. He's out there not for you or your brother. He told me so before he left this morning."

"That's a fucking lie!"

"Believe what you want to believe. He doesn't care about you."

"Then why the hell is he bringing me along! He loves me!"

"I don't doubt for a second that he is fucking some woman right now."

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but I trust him to not call him and see."

Things were really getting threatening in the air. My brother stepped back to not get sucked into another fight.

"Why did the idea pop in your head? I didn't suggest you call. You know what? I will call him. You'll see for yourself."

"Don't you dare call him! What if he's trying to stay quiet?! You'll give up his location!"

Karen still dialed his number, and he did answer. I restrained myself from kicking her ass for her stupdity.

"Niko, how goes the mission?"

She put him on speaker, so I can listen.

"I am at a hotel right now awating orders. Your men haven't told me to go after the target yet."

"Is there anybody else there with you?"

"No. Why?"

"Sharon seems to think you have a prostitute with you."

I lost it. I pounced on her and knocked the phone from her hand. I fought on top of her, punching her face while Niko pleaded to me from wherever he was to stop. I couldn't hear him with the blood rage ringing in my ears.

"Sharon! Stop!" He shouted as loud as he could. There was no use.

I wildly went after her like a lioness attacking her prey. Karen, in her desperate attempt, managed to lock my arms together in some police style maneuver. She had me pinned down in just a few seconds and placed hand cuffs on my wrists. That still didn't stop me as I wrestled myself off the floor and tackled her again with just my body weight.

"Sharon! Enough!" Niko exclaimed.

Karen took one strong uppercut to my jaw, and that sent me backwards onto the floor. My arms couldn't catch me as I got knocked out.

I awoke with no idea what happened. All I know is my head hurt, and I couldn't move my arms. My brother held an icepack to my head and my phone to his ear.

"She's alright. She just came to. Wanna talk to her?"

He held the phone to my ear and a frantic Niko was heard. He was saying something, but my brain couldn't piece together what he said.

"No. I won't let you destroy our relationship." I said with a faint tone.

"What are you talking about?" Niko asked.

I seemed to get my senses back.

"I think she is trying to ruin our relationship, Niko!"

"Who? Karen?"

"Yes. Karen! I never said what she said. I trust you fully and completely. She is the one putti-"

"Easy. I know how she is." He cut me off before I got too angry. "She's jealous of us. She's married to her job and has no boyfriend or husband to love her. She's miserable. Just put up with her for a few more days, and she'll be gone."

"I can't, Niko. She makes me so angry."

"Hold it together. Don't let her get under your skin."

"I try not to, but then she says stuff like that."

"Would you feel better if I show you where I am?"

"You don't need to prove me anything, Niko. I said I trust you, and I do."

"Well, just know I really miss you. I wish you were here."

"Where is 'here'? Maybe I can see you?" I offered.

"It's not safe. Besides, I am at a hotel in Florida right now.'

"Florida?! Why there? How'd you get there so fast?"

"This is where the target resides. I flew in via private jet. It only took a few hours to get here."

"Oh, well a private jet will get you there. Was it fancy?"

"It was. There was champagne aboard and high end shit, but in all honesty, it wasn't like being with you. I'd give up all of this in a heartbeat to be with you."

I squealed over the phone. He is being so damn cute, and he's not here for me to smother in kisses.

"You liked that?" He chuckled.

"Couldn't you tell?"

"You two are making me neasous." Karen called from the bedroom.

"Ignore her, Sharon." Niko said before I could advance.

"I couldn't go to attack her anyway. She's got me cuffed."

"Damn. You gave her a run for her money, didn't you? She'll make sure not to piss you off again. Remind me not to piss you off either." He laughed.

I could have been extremely happy talking to him for a while, but I heard his phone ringtone.

"I have to let you go. It looks like the target is on the move, and they want me. I will talk to you soon, мој слатки анђео."

"Збогом, Niko. Волим те."

"Волим те. I'll see you soon."

I lost my connection with him, and already I wanted to hear his voice longer.

"Do you want me to ask Karen to get you out of these cuffs?"

"Like she would. And If I got my hands free, I'd go after her again."

"You got to remain calm. Listen to your boyfriend. We need her, too."

"I don't trust her at all. She's planning something."

"We will have to watch out for her. It would be so wrong of her to stab us in the back after all of this. And she's the one who said it was wrong for her employers to stab Niko in the back. She's being a hypocritical cunt."

My brother hit the nail on the head with that statement.

Again my brother and I found ourselves keeping our minds busy while Niko was out. I really wish I was able to help him in any way. As I was told atleast 20 times, I had no business with him while he was out doing these contracts. The only thing I could do was be there for him at the door no matter what time he came home and offer my support. By that, I can offer him food and water, or comfort, or, if he asks for it and has the energy, sex.

Karen came out of the bedroom around 4 pm stating she was going out, and that the both of us were to remain silent to not draw attention to ourselves.

"And just where do you think you're going? Out to set up something to betray Niko?"

"Do me a favor? Don't make this all about yourself. This is something I need to do to make sure he gets home."

"Is he finished with the contract already?"

"No. He got captured."

The blood slipped from my face, and I did the best I could to stumble in her general direction to get information.

"What happened to him?!" I asked when I finally got to her.

"He got captured." She repeated the obvious.

"I know that! Tell me how! Tell me when! Is he hurt?"

"Would you rather me tell you all that, or would you rather see me doing something to get him back?" Her logicality seemed to quell my need for answers, and I sat back down. She got my answer from my action.

"Get him back safe. Please."

"We will do the best we can."

She exited the apartment complex, but I chased after her before she got into her suv.

"Karen! Please give me your number. I want to know how he is."

"I'm not supposed to give that out. However, I'll give it to you. She took my phone and typed in the digits herself to ensure nobody else heard. "You know, Niko was right. I am miserable. I am married to my job, and I probably will never know what it will be like to be loved again. Niko treated me right when he and I were dating, and now that he is gone, I'll never have that again. I miss him. I am glad for you and him. But now that he is in danger, I jeopardized more than just your relationship. I jeopardized his life. I will call you as much as I can to inform you on what's going on and if we get him."

I noticed her voice cracked a little when she said 'if we get him'. I couldn't really tell though if she did still love him.

Her phone number was my direct link to Niko, who was miles away from me in some God awful building. I decided to head back into the apartment before anything else bad happened.

My phone chirped moments later with Karen's number on the screen. I feared the worst that she was told he was killed.

"It's Karen. I figured I'd let you know how we know he got captured."

I sat down on the couch, enticed by her cliffhanger.

"Niko left early this morning about 4 am. I thought this target was going to be a little more harder, so I made the suggestion that he'd wear a wire. It was equipped with a panic button that he could push that allowed him to alarm us without saying anything. I helped him get the wire on and showed him how to use it."

The thought of her touching my Niko's bare skin made my heart furious, but my brain told my heart that this isn't the time to overreact.

"Once he understood how to use it, he was sent off on his mission. He was told by my employers that the target was on the move to another location. His distress call came hours later after your phone call. We are attempting to locate his last distress signal, and get him back before they do him harm."

"I am glad you gave him that alarm. Had he not have it, he'd have no way to call for help. Thank you for thinking of him and his safety."

"You're welcome. We might be able to get him back alive. We just received another distress call from him before I called you. Just remain positive, and be confident in us to rescue him."

My phone notification beeped, and I saw it was Niko. His capturers didn't take his phone away?

"Niko just sent me a text message!" I pulled down the notification bar and read his message aloud, so Karen can hear his message.

"He's being held in a small warehouse by the gang leader. He says he was tied up, and they tortured information out of him about who he works for. He is in a room in the basement."

"How foolish of them to not take his phone. Can you call him to make sure it is him?"

"I'd rather not. I'm afraid his ringtone would give it away that he has a phone."

"I'm sure he turned the ringtone off. Call him. Make sure it is him, so we know it isn't a bluff."

I called his number, and thankfully he did answer. I tried to keep my cool, so I was understood by him and to make sure he didn't talk too much.

"Niko? Are you okay?"

"Yes." He whispered. "A little beat up, but I'm okay. The real torture is being away from you."

I remained calm. My mind squealed like a schoolgirl again.

"The idiots didn't take my phone. Did you get my message?"

His voice pulled me out of my dream sequence.

"I told Karen your location. She has a bunch of men coming for you."

"Good. Tell them I am in the basement in some sort of jail cell. The guard has the key. They'll have to take him out. He has a rifle. Someone will have to snipe him from far away. From what I saw, there were 6 guys with rifles at the main entrance."

"They didn't even blindfold you either?"

"I don't think I am going to be alive for much longer. They must have not even bothered."

"Don't say that! You're coming home to me alive and safe." I started to cry.

"Молим те не плачи. If Karen says she will rescue me, she will do it."

"Niko." I sobbed.

"I will be home soon."

"What are they going to do about the target? You won't get credit for it if you don't kill him, will you?"

"Right now, I think they aren't worried about it. And you shouldn't be either."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I care about you getting home safe and into my arms."

"I gotta let you go. I hear someone. I love you."

He hung up before I could tell him it back. I was sure he was going to be tortured some more, or they were on their way to kill him. Whatever the choice was, my eyes welled up and I threw myself onto the couch cushion and wailed.

I looked at the clock when I woke up. My heart was heavy as I cried myself to a short nap. It was a little after 7:30, and I received no new phonecalls or text messages from Niko or Karen. I only hoped as long as I didn't get phone calls from Karen only meant she was busy locating Niko. I wondered what they were doing to him, and that made me feel useless in his rescue. I still needed to remain hopeful because any doubt would lead to a negative result.

"Have a nice nap?" My brother asked.

"Not really." My eyes felt puffy.

"I called that Roman guy and asked him to come over. I think he needs to know what happened."

Oh, shit! Roman doesn't know his cousin is in danger! How selfish of me to not tell him.

It was about an hour later when Roman came inside the apartment. He was told the entire story on how he got captured, when he got captured, and what the plan was to get him back. Roman seemed calm, yet concerned as we told him.

"You really shouldn't worry about Niko. He is a survivor. He knows what to do in these situations. He has the nous to play for time. Whatever time he can get, makes the difference in his rescue." He paused for a moment, taking a walk to the kitchen. "This isn't the first time he got captured." He said with his head in the refrigerator.

"What?"

"He and I were captured by the Russian mafia lead by Michael Faustin."

"And he was calm about it?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I was a coward. And I was the one shot in the stomach. It seems these thugs want you to show fear because it feeds their ego. If Niko keeps a calm head, they will try to get him to show fear. It seems fear only gets you hurt or killed faster."

His claim made some sense.

"What are you doing?" I asked when he pulled his head from the refrigerator.

"Taking stock. You seem low on food. I'll go to the store and get what you need."

"Thanks, Roman."

He showed me the shopping list, so I knew what he was getting. He sat down and had a serious look on his face.

"I know you're worried, but try not to. Niko needs to know you're not worried about him. He can focus on surviving better."

I was told that so many times to stay calm. It was easier said than done. Roman left the apartment to get the needed groceries. I was left with only my thoughts. Some positive and some negative. What if scenarios came to mind as I planned his rescue in my head on how it would go. Nothing came close to the real thing. He is somewhere being tortured and having his willpower tested. I guess that training was really necessary. Had he not, he'd be breaking.

My phone rang with Karen on the other line.

"Just an update, our men are on their way with speed to get Niko back. We had to plan a rescue amd ensured no men would be killed. This could be a big rescue for one man."

"Did he send another distress call?"

"No. Did he call or text you?"

"Nothing. I'm getting worried." Despite Roman said a few minutes ago, I started to panic.

"Listen to me. I need you to text him. Let him know we are on our way to get him. Let me know if he responds."

I decided to acutally listen to her rather than not like I had before. Mostly because of Niko's sake, but for once, she seemed honest instead of living in a lie. She may not have confessed that she was still in love with Niko, but I got the idea when she reminessed about her time with him.

I waited, staring intensely at my phone screen waiting for a reply. I hung up on Karen to focus on Niko. It was over 30 minutes later when I received a message back.

Who is this?

I knew it wasn't Niko. He would know who I was.

Listen here, you pile of shit. Set him free, or you'll pay!

My threats were on deaf ears. I could hear the thug laughing at my minor threat.

You don't need to worry about him anymore. We executed him. He is nothing but a corpse now. Whoever you are, you're wasting your time in rescuing him.

I dropped my phone as my hands went numb. I couldn't believe him for one second that they killed Niko. I refused to believe it. He was alive!

I texted Karen telling her what the capturers claimed. My thumbs were shaking uncontrollably as I hit send.

Her reply actually shocked me.

We need to hurry. We have no time to waste!

I don't know what she knew. Maybe she knew he wasn't dead either.

Don't call or text Niko now. We know where he is, and we no longer need to risk his saftey. He pushed the distress button again, so we know he's alive.

My heart jumped, knowing he was still alive. His capturers still don't know he has the wire on. I remained positive for the rest of the day and tried to fall asleep, knowing somewhere there was a brave rescue in the making, and an even braver man holding on against all odds.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Homecoming"

I stopped it nothing to know what was going on with Niko's rescue. I texted Karen multiple times asking her for an update. Her replies never came, so I came to the conclusion that she was in the midst of the rescue.

My brother tried to keep himself and I sane by asking his friends to come over. I told him no because if he was in contact with his drug friends, he would relapse and start doing drugs again. I was keeping his withdrawls at a minimum by just talking to him, and to my shock, he has had only one severe withdrawl.

It was a whole 3 days, and I was only texted two times on what was going on. The first message read that they arrived at the warehouse, and they were camping out out of sight so they can assess the situation. The next message read that they were almost ready to go in. That last message was sent yesterday, and as if I was there, I heard gunfire. I could only picture myself in the battle to get him back, but I really would be of no use.

Roman stopped by yesterday too, and I kept him informed of the news. I believed beyond belief that this would be a massive rescue, and that Niko would have a little more faith in the country he served. Maybe enough that he would take back a few things that he has said.

I was preparing lunch for my brother and I when I got a phone call from Karen. I answered it immediately knowing this could be the phone call that would make me cry or cheer.

"Sharon? Are you sitting down?"

I prepared myself for what was going to be said. I leaned against the stove, holding into the counter for stability.

"We have news on Niko."

The tears stung at the back of my eyes, and I remained silent.

"We went inside yesterday to find him. There were atleast 50 men surrounding the warehouse. When we finally got in the basement, we found Niko."

"Okay." My heart was racing.

"We found him, and we rescued him. He is fine, but he is a little malnourished."

My excitement exploded through my veins as a wave of relief came over me. I began to dance, and the noise I was causing made my brother rush out of the bathroom.

"What! What happened? Did they find him?!" He asked with anticipation.

"Yes!" I shouted with glee.

"Karen! Put him on the phone! I want to hear him!"

"He is resting, Sharon. He is weak and starved. We are taking him to the hospital to get him back."

Thatta boy, Niko! I thought. Stay strong.

"What happened to the drug dealer? Did you kill him? Did you lose any guys?"

"We killed the contract, and there were no men lost. It was a flawless rescue."

"Can I come see him at the hospital?"

"I'd rather you stay at the apartment. The police might be watching. I'm coming back to the apartment once we get him checked in. Understand that Niko will need his rest in the hospital. They will release him when he is better, and I will have my contact collect him. He will be back home in a few days."

"Okay." I couldn't wait to see him, but his health was not in good shape.

The phone call was terminated, and I did a dance of joy. I couldn't believe my Niko survived. I couldn't wait to ask him how he did it.

Minutes later, my phone rang.

"Hello?" A weak voice said.

"N-Niko?" I couldn't believe my ears. "Is it you? Is it really you?"

"Yeah. It's me." He sounded miserable.

"He said he was well enough to talk to you. And he wouldn't stop bothering me until I called you back." Karen teased in the background.

"I want to see you." Niko said.

"I need to see you." I was getting overwhelmed again.

"I told Karen to skip the hospital. It's probably a bad idea, but I don't care."

"You are going to the hospital, Niko. You need fluids. Home can't provide you that." I heard her say in the background.

"Listen to Karen, Niko. She's right. You need professional care."

He made a disgruntled sigh over the phone.

I heard in the background the pilot saying they were landing. Atleast I knew he was closer.

"Волим те. I will see you later, I guess." He said.

"We will be together soon. Put Karen back on, okay?"

I heard the phone rustle and her voice asked me what I wanted.

"Are your employers going to toss the last contract seeing as though it was too dangerous for one man to take the second one out?"

"I will have to pull a lot of strings. He still has one left, but seeing as though he will be out of commission for atleast a few days, we might be able to wave the last one. It isn't right to send him a few days later while the 3rd one is still at large. Hopefully this was the last one he will have to do."

"He really is killing himself by doing these on his own, and if the third one will be anything like the second one, he will be at risk again. And I would prefer him alive when he gets his freedom."

"I get that. I gotta let you go. We are getting off. There is an ambulette waiting for him. I will call you tomorrow and let you know how he is doing."

"Thanks, Karen."

It would be a whole week later, and Niko was released from the hospital, feeling much better. He was hooked up to IV's to help hydrate him, and his nutrition was key. Karen said they had him in high calorie food, and he was to eat as much fruit as he could stomach. His trip home was highly anticipated by myself, my brother, and Roman. I met him outside the apartment complex as Karen's suv pulled up. She offered to help him out, but he got out on his own. I held him tightly and cried hard into his chest just ecstatic and relieved to hold him. If only I knew what he had gone through. I would not allow him to leave my side ever again. Upon telling him that, he simply laughed. Hearing his laughter and voice, feeling him holding me, and just seeing him made me glad he came home safely.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Dealing with difficulty"

Had I known Karen's plans for the next week, I would have been able to go along. Yet again, I was left in the dark as to what would be said or even planned to discuss Niko's freedom from other contracts. Karen did specify that he was to do the three most wanted contracts in the country, and he only did one. His success on the first one was highly praised by Karen, but could it be enough to sway the federal government to allow Niko freedom after one? It was too much for him to handle the second one as he barely made it out alive. He was stuck in a basement for more than a week being starved and tortured. It was possible that the third one could be just as dangerous.

"So, we are clear, Niko?" I heard Karen ask as they stood up from the kitchen table.

They were talking in hushed volumes. I tried to listen in and read Niko's lips, but I was too taken on how I wanted them all over my body. Stupid one track mind.

"I got it." He said.

"We will want to meet up Wednesday in the morning to discuss a possible termination of your last contract and your freedom. That's the plan. If we play well with them, they might let you off."

"That's if they are willing to work with me. What if they don't agree to my terms?"

"My connections will hear first what we have to say and what we offer before they say anything. They are a little more lenient than the man you talked to the first time."

"I hope so. I'd hate to go in this last one and I end up dying."

His words scared me. The thought of me losing him was the last thing I wanted to think of. Hell, it was something I never wanted to think of.

"If they really want you to complete the last mission you agreed to do, they will look into how difficult it would be for you. If it seems like you are not enough, they may send more help to you, or they may choose another file.

Niko stood from the table and walked up to me on the couch. I couldn't help stare at him as he walked.

"We need your input." He said as he moved to me.

"Niko, she can't help us." Karen retorted.

"Yes she can. She's as every bit a part of this as you and me."

"She knows nothing of this kind of work."

He ignored her and sat next to me. Every cell in my body wanted to jump on him, and I had to use a great deal of resistance to stop myself.

"What do you think of all this? Would you agree to me doing one more less hazardous contract, or would you rather me try and squeeze out of it just doing one? Well, one and a half. I think I deserve a little credit for the last one." He smiled.

"To he honest, I'd rather you try and talk your way out of another one. How can I be so sure that this one will be less hazardous? You could never come back to me."

"The vote is clear. I will ask your connections for a free pass on Wednesday. I've had enough killing. I want to love."

"This is extremely uncharacteristic of you, Niko." Karen noted.

"Even people like me can change, Karen. It all depends on who you surround yourself with. Look at you. At the start of this, you were a total bitch. Now you're changed. I can see it."

"How dare-" She paused in thought. "You're right. I think seeing you change made me realize I could too."

"It's nice to see an example of what's in your future, isn't it?" He swayed.

"I guess we will have to hear what they say, first of all. Your future is now tied with mine. If my employers do not accept our deal, I could be with you three for a lot longer. Second of all, we have to worry about the police, too. We've been making a lot of noise the past few days and making too many phone calls. I'm sure they were able to trace us in this area. We will have to stay quiet. If we get caught, there will be no futures for anyone. No phone calls from now on, and no movements outside the apartment."

"So, this is a stay-in? We will need more essentials again." I noted.

"Have your cousin get some supplies, Niko." Karen suggested.

"I can't make a phone call."

"Alright. I will go out and get what we need. In the meantime, you three stay here and keep quiet. My contacts will make sure the police keep away from here."

Karen gathered the money from Niko and started her shopping quest. It was Niko, myself, and my brother hiding out in an apartment keeping low and out of sight from the police. It would be an opportune moment to strike with us having no way of defending ourselves. Karen and her contacts were the only people able to keep us out of harms way. If we made too much noise, they'd come after Niko and my brother. Silence was a virtue. So, that meant sex was out the window. Damn it.

"This is extremely unstable." I say after a few minutes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we move from place to place, keep quiet, you go off and do what you do, and we gotta be quite again."

"I told you this is not the life I want. A fourty year old man snaking around life, scraping together an existence with nothing to show for it. I don't want to be a life that was easily forgotten. I want a legacy. A man out of Serbia who came to America to make a change from all the horrors he had to face only to become a normal man with a family and friends who will remember him when he dies."

"I believe you. It's not the life I would want too. I'd want the freedom to do what I want when I want."

"Come Wednesday, there is a chance this could all go away. I could get my citizenship and finally be free."

I could only smile at him as I knew this is what he wanted most of all out of life. The need to have things some people take for granted.

The next day, Niko prepared himself for his meeting. He asked Roman when he stopped by to go out and get his fancy tuxedo to make an impression on Karen's contacts. Roman agreed telling Niko he owed him for this. His comment when he returned with his clothes, an iron, and a few items made me chuckle.

"I never thought I'd ever touch my cousin's underwear."

Of course, Niko retorted with a comment saying he's touched plenty of stripper's underwear, so it shouldn't bother him that much.

I watched Niko iron the trousers and marveled at his ability to push his past week behind him. On the outside, he was calm and collected, but I'm sure on the inside there was an inner struggle; the war was still a plague in his mind. He seemed to be able to switch off things he didn't want to remember. However, I could see it in his eyes whenever he spoke to me. His eyes pleading with mine to help him forget. To help him get pulled out of the past to have a future.

My brother was playing on my phone. It was something to preoccupy his mind and allow him to not think about his drug addiction. It was pretty easy for me to see that his addiction was slowly fading away. It was with mine and Niko's help that he was able to only once have a severe withdrawl. Niko even said he saw my brother one day getting back into classes to finish his computer degree along with his words of encouragement.

"You'd have me as your first customer once you get a job in the computer career."

Even Karen surprised us with her date. She apparently was on a dating website and was looking for a boyfriend. All this time, she had been chatting with this guy she'd shown interest in. And I felt ashamed when I thought it was her trying to sabotage Niko. I instantly apologized for thinking that, and her words of forgiveness were to follow.

"If I were you, I'd be suspicious of me too. It was something I wanted to do privately."

She threw over her little purse and headed for her date. It was a bad time to think about dating someone when all eyes were on the apartment. She was asked to meet up with this guy for a couple of days, and she ran out of excuses to give him. With Niko at large and my brother a wanted man by the government, they could strike at any time. It seemed Niko was our protector again. A role he didn't take so lightly.

He prepared dinner for my brother and I around 7 pm. He made a Serbian themed diner. Serbian Gjuwetsch. It was one of his favorite foods his mother prepared for him and his brother before the war came. It was a simple recipe that consisted of ground beef, green and red peppers, onions, and tomatoes all over rice. He even asked me to help him make the dish. It was a tiny taste of his culture, and I was really glad he shared it with me. It was delicious, and I was told it was the same recepie his mother used.

"Tastes just how I remember." He reminessed.

The rest of the night consisted of us just talking to each other. Niko and my brother had a lot to say. It looked like he has accepted Niko as his future brother in law. My brother asked if we could watch a movie, but he didn't even make it past the middle of the movie. He fell asleep on the couch around 12:30, and with Karen still out on her date, I began to get devious ideas. My mind was in total control of me as I felt myself getting warmer. I desperately squeezed my legs together to try and quell my hunger for him. I knew he really must not be in the mood for sex, and I fought the lust off because I started cramping. My restlessness made him divert his attention from the movie to me.

"What's wrong? The food I cook for you upsetting your stomach?"

"No." I trailed.

"Well, what is it? Do you have to pee?"

"I don't have to pee, but it has to do with my pussy."

Niko caught on as his eyebrows shot up.

"But I really don't want to have sex, Niko. I am on my period."

"There's other ways to get what you are in need of."

"How?"

"I can take the edge off for you. I can finger you if you want me to."

"I don't want my mess to get on you."

He assisted me when I was asked to sit in his lap. He soothed me by rubbing my back and singing some Serbian songs and hymns he knew. His voice against my ear as I pressed it against his chest made me melt. His arms wrapped around me, and I was trapped in his love. I couldn't find the words on how he made me feel. It was almost like he put me under his spell, and he would never let me go. Which was fine with me...

"Сећам се, падине стабала и оближњег језера, док сам те чврсто држао, поветарац нас је окренуо, свет замрзнут, вријеме заустављања, када смо се држали једни друге тог јесенског дана. Да ли се сећате, дан када сам вас упознао, ствари које су важне, сада нису ништа, могао бих вас задржати, заувек више, баш као и ја, тај јесен."

I had no idea what he sang. I assumed it was probably a song his mother sang to him and his brother as a bedtime song. Maybe he will teach me how to sing it someday.

"That was beautiful, Niko." I say as I still cooed against his chest. "What does it mean?"

"It was a song I learned from my mother. It is about two lovers who find each other after so many years apart. They finally become one in autumn by a lake where they first met and become husband and wife. There was more to it, but I forgot the rest. In the end of the song, the two lovers die together and are burried under the same lake where they fell in love."

"That's so romantic!"

"Shh, my love. You don't want to alert everyone to our location." He said as he chuckled.

"So, your mother? Was she a romantic?"

"Oh yes. She married my father with the wish that she would be like those two in the song, but her song turned out to be much different. She always believed that my brother and I would find a nice woman, so we could be happy. She made us promise that we would never be like our father. I live up to her wishes as much as possible, but sometimes I think I failed."

"How so?"

"Well, when I was taken to strip clubs with my friends, I feel like just me being in that environment made me disrespect women."

"Have you received a lap dance by one of those women?"

"Only twice. Once for my 35th birthday. Roman paid this woman to give me a private show. And again by Brucie on my 38th birthday. Brucie paid top dollar to have this stripper give me a blowjob."

"So, did that make you feel like a man?"

"Absolutely not. I was cringing the entire time. I am not a man who enjoys to pay for sex."

"Were you drunk?"

"I was at my 38th party. Really drunk. To the point where I swore only to drink occasionally after that day."

"You won't need any other woman but me to give you what you want."

He smiled fondly at me.

"I thought I was supposed to be calming you down?"

"I can't help it! I've got you under me with your good looks, hard body, and soothing voice. It's not really working."

He pulled out his phone to look at the time. The screen nearly blinded me from how bright it was. He made a displeased look when he acknowledged the time.

"It's almost 1:30 in the morning. I better get some sleep for tomorrow. I am getting butterflies in my stomach from both sides of this outcome."

He sighed deeply, trying to ease himself. I lifted myself off of him, but he remained on the couch. He had a pensive look on his face.

"Do you want to go to bed, Niko?"

His response was patting the couch cushion next to him. I sat by him, and I could almost feel the aura of deep thought surrounding him. He laid his head in my lap, and I rubbed his head to help him fall asleep.

"Poor, Niko." I smiled. No matter what the result was, I would still be by him.

He was eased into a light sleep as I continued to rub him. I stayed up as he slept, and the sun shone through the ratty blinds. He was in the same position throughout the night. I surprisingly wasn't really tired.

I stealthily put a pillow under his head, so I could make him breakfast. I kept peeking at him on the couch to make sure he wasn't having a nightmare or if he got scared when he realized I left him.

The coffee maker bubbled alive as it started making coffee. He took his coffee black I found. I could never have coffee without sugar or creamer. I cracked eggs and started making the sausage for him. I looked at the stove time.

"5 am? And you're not awake, Niko?" I asked his sleeping form.

He twitched in his sleep. He must have fallen into a deeper sleep. Then I realized Karen never came home last night. I wondered if her date went well. I'm not sure if she was one to put out so easily. I made my way to the sleeping Niko, and I gently shook him to stir him awake. To my shock, he shot himself up in a defensive pose ready to strike the mystery person. His eyes gained focus as he recoiled his fist.

"What are you doing?!" I was terrified. I thought he'd never have the idea to hit me.

"I am so sorry. I thought you were my captors. I thought they were killing me. I am sorry! I never meant to scare you. Or to even hurt you."

I stepped to him. He was about as scared as I was.

"It's okay, Niko. Do you have these night terrors often?" I tried to erase the events that played out in his head.

"Not often, but when I do, I am unpredictable. I never know who will get hit when they wake me up. It's really is best to let me wake up on my own, or set an alarm for me."

"Noted." I smile.

"I am really sorry. I never told you when I should have, but when I am with you, around you, sleeping with you, I feel at ease. This may seem cheesy, but you keep the terrors away. It's like you protect me from them."

I all of a sudden had a more stronger reason to be with him other than loving him. I was his defender against what he couldn't save himself from. I held him against my breast somehow knowing that holding him would take the terrors away. I heard him lightly purr almost as I continued to comfort him.

Then I smelled the sausages, and I left his side now that he was awake to take the sausages out of the frying pan before the apartment burned to the ground. He smiled at me as I fanned my hand when I burned myself from the grease.

"Troubles in the kitchen?" He chuckled from behind me.

"Alright, smartass. Get over here and help me." I tell him as he sat down at the table.

"I enjoy watching you. You're cute."

"As I singe my fingers on the sausage grease?"

"You're not supposed to cook your fingers." He choked back a laugh.

"I know that. Get over and help me since you're such a cook magician in here."

"Cook magician? That's a first." He said as he stood.

He looked at the stove wall and roared in laughter.

"How the hell did you get eggs all over the wall?"

"I dunno. I'm not a good cook, okay?"

"How'd you survive without me?"

"I went out a lot, and my family had a lot of get togethers. There was so much food that I often came home with food for days."

He stood over the new batch of eggs and patiently waited for them to cook. He'd sprinkle a little seasoning, and with expertise that I could never match, turned the sausages. They were perfectly cooked, and he put them on a plate for us. He then put a piece of aluminum foil over the eggs and watched the time like a hawk. It really was amazing for me to watch him cook. Probably because I was so God awful at it.

As if by perfect timing, he removed the foil and slid the eggs onto the plate.

"Breakfast is served."

Something as simple as cooking eggs and sausage, I was amazed.

"How'd you?"

"It's not that hard to do. It's really all about time. If you watch when you cook, it will turn out fine."

"That's the problem. I get distracted and easily forget what I am doing."

"And that's why there's egg on the wall." He laughed.

That earned him a sharp glare from me, and he still laughed. Even harder so.

"I think we should eat this before it gets cold."

He took the plate and poured himself and I a cup of coffee. I sat down waiting for him to join me.

Karen strolled through the door moments later when Niko and I started eating. Her demeanor looked like her date ended in disaster, and Niko and I held out mouths shut. She must have heard what we were thinking because she shot a look at us and gestured to us to shut it.

"What happened, Karen?" Niko asked with a mouth full of food. His childish way of asking made her snap into a verbal attack.

"You two stay out of it. It's not your business what I do with my life."

We ducked our heads like dogs being punished, and that made her stomp off into the bedroom where she slammed things around to vent out her frustration. We both laughed together as she carried on.

"I guess it wasn't so bad." Niko laughed.

"I'm glad I'm not in that room." I added.

The crashing and thrashing made my brother wake up, and he thought we were under attack. That only made the both of us nearly on the floor with laughter. I think I busted a lung from how hard I was laughing. Niko, on the other hand, was red in the face and had tears coming from his eyes. My brother's utter look of confusion only amplified out laughter.

This moment was exactly what the doctor ordered after one if the longest weeks the both of us ever had.

Karen came out of the bedroom freshened up with her usual business suit on. Niko kept quiet as she prepared herself something small to eat. Niko was next, and I was told there was no time for shower shenanigans. There I waited in the living room while my naked Niko was all alone. My body needed to be with him, but everytime I advanced to the bathroom, Karen stared me down back to the couch. She really was in a pissy mood.

Niko came out of the bedroom dressed in his tuxedo, and I my eyes followed his moves around the apartment.

"Do you want to go in the shower?"

"Niko, she can't come along. This is risky enough for us to be leaving these two alone."

"These two can come along with us."

"Oh okay, why don't we just gift wrap your brother and hand deliver him into the laps of those who are looking for him?"

"I prefer you on your date. Atleast I didn't have to hear your bitchy mouth."

"Watch it, Niko."

"Why can't Sharon come? She can't protect her brother on her own."

"That is simply not going to happen. She stays here." Her tone warranted no questions.

A knock on the door scared the life out of me.

"Finally."

She opened the door and there stood another man. Judging from his dark appearance with his tuxedo, he must be one of Karen's contacts.

"This is Chad. He will be protecting you two while Niko and I are at this meeting. It is unknown how long we will be, so he will be the one you'll answer to while I am away."

He invited himself inside and scoped out the area. He looked like he was all about business, and I could tell he had a chip up his ass. This wasn't going to be fun at all.

"Hello, Chad. My name is Sharon and this is my brother." I said being civil like.

"Your names mean nothing to me. I am hired to protect you. Nothing more."

"I bet you're a blast at parties."

He ignored my comment and continued to look around the apartment.

"It's time to go, Niko." She urged Niko out of the door.

"Hold on, Karen." He stopped her from pushing him out of the door.

"They are waiting inside the car for us. We don't have time for this. We are supposed to be there at 11."

"We have time for me to say goodbye." He said, working against Karen's shoving.

"Goodbye, Sharon!" He called over his shoulder when she shoved with all her might.

Once again, he was off doing things that didn't involve me.


	17. Chapter 16

Before we begin, I'd like to thank those who have given me the reviews. It really encourages me to post more chapters and continue this story.

Second, I realize that Niko is ooc...okay, a lot ooc, but through my eyes I believe he can change. He is in a transition going through this story that shows him at his best and worst. He stated in my story that he pushes away those who want to help, and that he is working on it. Niko is 40 years old and the realization hits him when I met him that he has nothing to show in his life.

Thirdly, these upcoming chapters will become a little more gruesome in the sence of violence and sexual themes. I hope that those who are following and reading are not grossed out by such things.

Finally, on with the story! Please PM me of any further questions and I will try my best to answer them!

Chapter 16

"What it takes"

The whole day of Wednesday was just full of awkwardness between me and my brother and the new bodyguard named Chad. I was sure he knew what my brother has done to recieve a wanted status by the government. I was actually protecting my brother from our protector. I hoped he didn't try and take us in to the police.

After his deep search through all of our things and every single corner if the apartment, Chad took it upon himself to start consuming our food. We barely had enough between us two. I was a little irked that he showed no restraint from his gluttony.

"Excuse me."

He paid no mind to me as he guzzled our last bottled water.

"Excuse me! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Look, lady. I was pulled away from my desk to protect you two scum bags. Atleast you should show more appreciation. Remember, I could easily turn you two in in a heart beat."

He shut me up with his threat. It was going to be a really difficult time with this slob here.

There was a pounding on the door again that made me jump.

"This is the police department. We know you're holed up in there. Come out and surrender with your hands up."

"There is a fire escape in the bedroom. Make yourself scarce." Chad demanded.

He recieved no questions from us. I grabbed the keys to Karen's SUV before we climbed down the fire escape and ran through the parking lot. I took the wheel and got as far away as I could from the complex. It was in the park that we alluded the police again. I was on a pure adrenaline rush as my hands shook.

"That was too close." My brother said as he caught his breath. "Are we safe here?"

"We should be okay. If we keep out of sight, that is."

I texted Niko to let him know what happened. His reply never came, and I drove around the city, hoping he'd reply soon. Thankfully, the SUVs windows were slightly tinted, so we were able to avoid being seen as other police cruisers drove by.

I found a rather depressing looking bar in the far outskirts of the city. The kind of place you'd expect to see on the news with chalkout lines and police tape everywhere. I thought it would be a well hidden place to lay low until Niko called or texted me back on what he wanted us to do.

"Hey, little lady." A gruff voice grabbed my attention. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing all the way out here?"

My choice was to ignore him. My ignorance to the greasy man only made him shove my brother out of the way and brought himself in my view.

"A sassy babe like you would look real good on the back of my bike."

"As if I would ever pair up with an animal like you."

"Why you gotta be like that? I'm only being all gentleman like to ya."

I stood up only because the cigarette breath this man had was making me gag, and his unsightly smile with atleast four missing teeth made me disgusted. I cue my brother to follow me outside to the back of the building. It was a huge mistake because there were more grungy greasy biker men all around a set up stage with three strippers flashing their tits like it was some sort of free for all pornography.

"We got another pretty lady. She looks like she's got some round firm tits!"

Whooping and chanting erupted within the small courtyard, beckoning me to join in the show.

I immediately turn around and made my way back to the front of the bar. Not knowing where else to go, I sat inside the SUV along with my brother.

"That was awkward." He said as he bucked up his seatbelt.

"I think we are done here. We will drive around a while and hope we don't get caught."

It had been hours before I decided to find a motel to hide in. Hopefully there wasn't any wanted posters in there.

I called the motel cashier over to get a room, and he handed me the keys. The motel room was horrendous with old ratty carpet, sunset yellow walls, and two twin sized beds that had questionable stains on the blankets. The cleanest part of the room was ironically the bathroom.

My brother was no stranger to living in a place like this, and I was slowly getting acquainted to this way of life too. He dove backwards on the bed and made himself comfortable. The TV was an old tube television and only had five channels. One channel was a paid pornography channel that had cheesy seventys music playing.

I yanked the remote from his hands as I began to see that his 'casual channel surfing' was just an excuse to peek at the blonde bimbo.

"Come on, I was enjoying that."

"You're not watching that shit while I am here. We are watching the news."

"Okay then. I'm sure the weather girl is pretty too."

With that comment, I turned the television off and kept the remote. I knew he wouldn't make an attempt to manually turn it on if I glared at him.

I kept an eye on my phone waiting for the phone call I desperately wanted to hear. My phone battery was at thirty percent, and in the rush to get away from the police, I didn't grab my phone charger. It was close to 2:30 in the morning, and I felt my eyelids wanting to close. Especially since I didn't fall asleep the night before.

Eventually, my brother won back the remote because I was too damn tired to fight back. The sound only heard was a red headed vixen getting tag teamed by two burly men in a jail cell. I questioned why the hell there would be a random red head in an assumed all male jail, but I dismissed it because it was a porn.

I soon fell asleep with somehow the groovy music putting me in a weird trance.

This is your last chance ta see the light a day, white boy.

A thug stood over Niko while he remained still in a wooden chair. His hands were tied behind his back, and his legs were roped together against the chair legs. Niko's face was covered in deep gashes from cuts and lashings from a metal chain. His arm was cut open by a hacksaw, and he suffered a bullet wound to his knee. All he could do was struggle, but with waining strength and will to survive, he could do nothing to break free. He still remained brave in the face of death.

You made a big mistake comin' here actin' a hero, but all you'll be remembered by is a slimy mother fucker. Got any last words before I paint the floor in your blood?

I stood there as the scene played out. I watched the thug raise his gun and rested it against Niko's head. I tried to move to save him, but I was running in place.

You bastards think you've won, but there will be more to come and get you. You'll get yours eventually. Ти црни пичкица!

The thug glared threateningly at him. Whatever hopes Niko had of surviving all blew away.

The thug pulled the trigger, and I could only watch in horror as his head flew backwards from the force of the gun. The chair tipped backwards, and his blood sprayed all over behind him. The thug only licked his pistol from the reminents of his blood. Deep satisfaction was displayed as a smile as Niko was instantly killed.

It was my brother shaking me erratically, trying to wake me from my dream. I shot up awake with the nightmare still poisioned into my memory.

"Where is he?!" I shook my brother.

"Where's who? Niko?"

"Yes!"

"He tried calling you early this morning, but you were passed out. I answered the phone. He said the meeting is over. He wants us back at the apartment. Karen's contacts were able to draw off the police for now. We have to move again to another hideout."

"Did the deal go his way?!"

"He didn't say. He wants us back to the apartment."

I ran down the hallway of the motel and slapped my credit card on the counter. The old rustic computer took minutes to finally ring up the sale. The SUV was waiting for us outside, and I piled my brother's butt into the seat.

"I am coming home, Niko!"

"Please exercise safe driving." My brother said as he buckled up and clung his hands to the armrests.

I took the corners as fast as I could without rolling over the top heavy beast. Niko would certainly disapprove of me if he saw me treating Karen's transport without a care. The woman would use her trashed up truck against him if she really wanted to.

I threw the SUV into park in the parking space that was provided for visitors and ran like a gazelle up the staircases. The door to our hideout apartment flung open, and there was Niko and Karen sitting casually drinking coffee not having a clue what just happened to my brother and I just hours ago. My hair was a mess from tossing and turning from my nightmare, I was sure I smelled like cigarettes and an old motel, and I was pure exhaustion as I wavered my way to Niko. I was so glad to see him after the bad day I had.

"So, your brother tells me you two had an adventure yesterday?" Niko said after he caught me as I flopped into his lap.

"You don't know the half of it." I half laughed.

"Karen was able to get us a semi decent deal. There's good news, and bad news." He said not wanting to stall anymore.

"Did they agree to your terms? Please say yes. You need this."

"They didn't say yes to my agreement, but they were willing to work out something I can do. One more contract. For freedom. I agreed to it."

"I thought you said you don't want to kill anyone anymore!"

"I won't be. I'm going undercover."

The thought of Niko going as a spy made my mind float away. Niko? As a spy? How sexy is that?

"Undercover as what?"

"I'm going as a...shit...you're going to laugh or be mad."

"I won't laugh or get mad!"

How ridiculous could it be, I wondered.

"A male prostitute."

I slapped his chest. How could he agree to something like this?

"Listen! I know it sounds bad, but the contract I am going after is a woman. The girl likes to party, and I am supposed to be the prostitute she gets with. I am supposed to work my charm, get her to trust me, and then I'm supposed to lead her away from her party. Then, I can make an arrest."

"You need to sleep with her?!"

"No. I won't. They know I am with you. I would never agreed to this if sleeping with her was involved."

"Why can't they arrest her now?"

"The girl is rich. She has guards all over her estate."

"So, this is supposed to be your last contract? No killing?"

"Not if I can help it. I of course have to look the part." He said with his fingers tapping a clothes box.

"Oh, no. That isn't it, is it?"

"Oh, yes it is. This is my costume."

He lifted the boxtop to reveal a cop outfit. The cop outfit top looked normal, but the trousers had some sort of cup on the crotch. It looked like the outfit was bought at a sex shop, judging by the sexy woman silhouettes on the tag. Obviously being the company's claim to fame logo. It was the epitome of irony that he was so go as a cop to a kinky sex party when the police were looking to arrest her.

"This outfit is so not you." I chuckled.

"Wait until you see it on me. You'll be drooling for me." He said choking back a laugh.

"Put it on, Niko. We need to make sure it fits." Karen asked.

"The cup might be a little small."

Karen rolled her eyes at Niko's attempt to brag about his buldge size. She has seen him before fully erect. Why she showed doubt was beyond me. I knew he was a big boy.

Niko unbuttoned the tuxedo jacket and hung it on the back of the kitchen chair. Next was the longsleeve shirt and his undershirt. I was majorly distracted as this sexy Serb undressed himself. His pecs looked amazing...here I go again.

Karen helped him by handing him the articles of clothing. The shirt and police top fitted him perfectly, but the problem came when he had to take off his trousers. Atleast it was a problem for me. He unbuckled his belt, and I stopped him.

"What?" He asked as I held the belt loop with my finger.

"You know what." I looked past him to Karen.

"She's not interested in me, Sharon. It's fine." He took my fingers and kissed them all in some sort of chivalric gesture. "You don't need to worry about it."

He undid his button, and they slid down to the floor. He kicked them away, and I decided to get over my jealously. I watched Karen as I folded his trousers in half and draped them on top of the jacket.

Karen handed him the odd police trousers, and he had to wiggle them on. They looked a little tight on him as I observed him struggling. He took a deep inhale to button the trousers.

"I guess these are meant to be tight?" He asked as I literally heard him squeal from being too confined.

"It's supposed to be. Do they feel too tight?"

"No. I can still breathe." He said, mocking his labored breathing.

"No. This won't do. You'll need a slightly larger size. I'll have my contacts make you another set of pants."

"Are you calling me fat, Karen?"

"Niko," She sighed and facepalmed. "Jesus. I wish you'd be serious for once."

"I am serious." He said laughing.

I laughed with him. He didn't have a gut. He was in fantastic shape for a fourty year old man, but the pants were too tight around more than just his waist. It was around his thighs and in the groin were he felt squished. The groin certainly had no room in them.

"I told you I was too big for these. I have a tailor make my pants because the pants I get from the store aren't made for well endowed men like myself."

"Who do you go to? We need your tailor's name."

"Her name is Vanessa Huges. She knows my measurements by heart."

"What is her contact information?"

"I could make the call. She'd wonder too much about it as to why you're calling for me." He said as he dialed his phone and put out on speaker.

A cheerful voice was heard over his speakerphone.

"Hello. Perseus clothing store. This is Damian. How can I help you?"

"Is Vanessa Huges there? Tell her it's Niko Bellic."

"Right away, Sir."

There was the infamous hold music that was simply the worst. Niko made a gagging face to show his repulsion at the squealing woman who tried to sing. After about three minutes, the music stopped and the phone clicked.

"This is Vanessa, who is this?"

"Niko Bellic."

"Oh, hi, Niko! How's things?"

"Oh, you know. Surviving."

"I gotcha. What can I do for you, babe?"

Her choice of endearment made me already apprehensive of the tailor. Did they once have a fling he never told me about? Was it a crush?

"Yeah, hey listen. This will be an odd request. Can I stop in either today or tomorrow and get fitted for a pair of trousers?"

"Niko, honey. I know your size by heart."

"I get that, but these trousers won't be like anything you've made before. I might be able to show you what I am looking for if you can see me."

"I've always got time for you, darling. Can you stop up today? Say, in two hours? I'm free then. I can take your measurements and get to work."

"Sounds good. I'll see you around noon."

With that, he hung up and put his phone on the coffee table. Karen was on her phone as well, arranging new living accommodations after hearing about the near capture yesterday. We've been fortunately lucky we were able to avoid the police, but something told me the grasp was getting tighter. We would be found out soon enough.

"Anywhere. Perhaps Jared knows somewhere. We are in need of a new location."

There was a long pause from her. I assumed this Jared guy was being contacted about any open apartments or any other living quarters. All eyes were on Karen as she paced back and forth.

"Alright, just have him call me back when he finds something."

She rarely said goodbye afterwards. Assuming that's just the way those government people are. Saying goodbye was a sign of weakness I guess.

"So?" Niko asked.

"Jared will call us back. He is looking into a new spot. In the meantime, we stay absolutely quiet."

"Why won't they come for us now?"

Everyone looked at me at my strange question. It's true, I had no idea how this sort of thing works.

Niko gave me a smile and sat next to me on the couch.

"Because Karen is basically above the police. If she sees fit, she can strip the badges right off the cops if she can see bad conduct. We are protected by the government right now."

I never knew she had that much power. I was a little intimidated of her, and even envious of her authority.

Niko snuck a text to his cousin to let him know to stop by, so we could give him another errand list since the rest of our food was devoured. It wasn't a whole bunch, but it was all we had. Roman showed up a little later, and we explained to him that we would be moving again. His help was asked from us, and he agreed that he would be on standby. He took the list from Niko, but before he left, he asked Niko if there was anything else he could think of that we needed. Niko put his hands on his hips, trying hard to think if he missed anything. I chimed in and pulled Roman aside privately.

"You need to promise me that you keep this between you and me." I spoke at at a low volume.

"What do you need?"

"I need you to get something for Niko. It's his birthday soon, and I want to surprise him with a gift."

"His birthday is Saturday. How will you keep it a secret for that long?"

"I can do it. I don't know when we will see you next, and since we will be moving here soon, I want it out of the way. Can you get him his favorite vodka? I will pay you back, I swear it."

"He promised himself he was going to cut down on drinking."

"Alright. Get him what you think he'd like. And get him a birthday card, too. I want him to know we love him, and we are thinking of him. And thanking him for everything he's done."

"I'm not sure you need to be thanking him for everything. There is a lot of fucked up shit he's done in his life."

"You know what I mean. I want him to know that he is being thought of when I am sure he doesn't get to much of that. He's always thinking of others. Just look how he took my brother under his wing without question. He's risked his life to-"

"Alright! Okay! I'll get him something he will like. Jeez."

I glared at Roman, and he chuckled. I shook my head at him as he left. I opened the door up, and there was my brother eavesdropping on the conversation.

"You jerk!" I hollered.

"I can't resist secrets." He said full of giddiness.

"Don't. You. Dare."

By this time, Niko's curiosity was peaked. He sat up on the couch and stared at me, wanting to know what was said.

"Nevermind. It was something stupid I wanted."

"Well, what is it?" Niko asked.

Shit. I can't lie on the spot. And I shouldn't have had to lie if my brother didn't draw so much attention to the door.

"Well, you see, I wanted Roman..."

I tried to find something to cover up my surprise for Niko.

"I wanted Roman to get me a...new..."

"Yes?" Niko inquired.

"A new sex toy. See, I've been wanting a new one for a while now..." I spoke with haste.

My brother made a twisted face even though he knew I lied, and Karen dismissed herself from the room to forget what I said. Niko was the only one left and remained on the couch still staring a me.

"A new sex toy?" He parroted back with a mixture if interest and intriguement.

"Yes. I was very specific as to what I wanted. That's why I took a long time to talk to him."

"What kind do you want?"

Damn it, Niko. Stop making me lie to you.

"I want one that vibrates."

He waved me over to sit down instead of having me gibbering by the door. I sat on the other side of him, and he kept his eyes on me. Even watching me sit down. Having his eyes on me every movement I made made me feel like I was being interrogated. Almost like his eyes were going to weed out my lie. I couldn't be any more wrong as his lips met mine, and I melted into the couch. His lips were what I needed for so long. Hell, I wanted more than just his lips.

His kiss came to a hault, but he was rubbing his lips against mine. He knew how to tease me.

"What else did you want on your sex toy?"

His breath made my lips tingle, and his voice was full of lust. It may seem like he bought into my lie. Or he was just playing along.

"I want one that thrusts inside me." I say against his lips.

I felt his flesh raise in goosebumps, and I felt him form a smile.

"I love the dirty talk." He chuckled. "What else do you want on your toy?"

I swallowed hard from so much arousal. I tried to not speed ahead of him.

"I want one that rotates to reach around the unexplored areas of my pussy."

I heard him groan deeply. He liked that.

"I thought I explored those areas."

I giggled at him, and I almost tried to straddle him. Almost.

"What else, love? What comes on your dream sex toy?"

"I want one that squirts inside me as I finish."

"Am I using it on you? Or are you using it on yourself?"

"I want you to use it on me, Niko." I started to lose control.

Next thing I know, I started groping his manhood through his pants. He only grinned at my impatience. He allowed me to continue though.

"Am I kissing you as I am using it?"

His phone rang, and I really wanted to yank the phone out of his hands as he answered and yell at the caller. Instead, I held my mouth sealed shut as he happily took the call.

"This is Niko... Yeah, hi, Vanessa. What's up?...You can't?...Oh shit... I'm sorry to hear that...Has she been ill long?...A year?...Well, I'm sure Damian can do it for you... He's in training?...Well, maybe we can do it another time?...Sure...Sounds good... I'll speak to you soon, Vanessa." He hung up, and called for Karen.

"I am not joining you two in your gropefest." She called from the bedroom.

"Get in here, Karen. Something changed."

She stood in the doorway of the bedroom afraid that we were naked. She crossed her arms and waited for the latest news.

"My tailor's mother just died. She can't make those cop pants. We gotta find an alternative."

"Are you suggesting I make those pants?"

"I don't even know if you have basic tailoring skills, Karen."

"You're right about that." She deadpanned.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"I can try another tailor. There's plenty out there. I just liked Vanessa's work."

Niko did some research on nearby tailor shops on his phone while I nestled myself against his shoulder. I couldn't shake off what just happened not ten minutes ago. He'd better make this up to me.

"Here we go." He said at length. His thumbs were busy tapping away at the screen rather than peeling me away in lust...

"There is a five star review on this place. I think I found another tailor."

I peered over and looked at his phone. It looked like a fancy place. He made himself an appointment for next week. It seems like this undercover sting will have to wait. It seemed like a good thing to me since it was his in-the-works birthday party, and we were still looking to move. The confirmation E-mail immediately sent to his phone, and he made a note.

"Karen, I have an appointment to this other place next week on Thursday."

She made a very visable sigh.

"We can't wait that long, Niko. We need to get this done this Saturday, remember? That's the day of her party."

"Shit." I murmured.

Niko turned to me wondering why it was such a disappointment to me.

"Can't you find anywhere else?"

Karen asked before he could ask me what was wrong.

"I could, but these guys are the best of the others. I can't have the trousers split when I'm at the party." He half joked.

"They might end up coming off anyway, Niko. Cancel the appointment for Thursday. Get one before the party." Karen reasoned.

Niko threw his hands up in the air and made more objections about how he doesn't want the trousers to rip, or how he doesn't like the idea of young women being able to see his manhood when he is with me. I reasoned with Niko saying it was okay with me and prolonging this would mean us prolonging our future together. Niko did give up unenthusiastically and did cancel his appointment. He called around for hours trying to find someone who could tailor pants for him that was supposed to go with the stripper cop outfit. Finally, around 4 pm, he tossed his phone on the floor in anger.

"There is nobody who can see me this week!" His face held an anger that I didn't want to see on him.

"Maybe we can go to the sex shop this costume came from."

"Oh, that's even better. Getting fitted for pants at a sex shop that is dirtier than its mind is."

"Well, what do you suggest, Mr. I'm-too-well-endowed-for-regular-pants?"

"I don't fucking know!" He growled back. "Don't put the blame on me!"

"I actually can if you weren't a freak!"

"Shut the fuck up, Karen!" He shot back.

His intensity must have alerted the neighbors because there came a pounding on the wall that told us we were too loud.

Niko took an extra deep breath to calm down and to use a more indoor voice.

"Why does this have to have a cup in the crotch anyway? Can't I just wear something else with the jacket?"

"No. You'll look too much like a cop, and you won't be able to get in."

"Are you just assuming this, or did you actually do factual research?"

"Niko, we can't have you in danger. If you get killed.." She took a long pause. "This will look bad on our records."

"Oh, so I am just a file to you?"

"And we need you. You're good at what you do. We can't have the last thing you do, be the last thing you do."

"What?"

"You have something to live for, Niko. We can't take short cuts and get sloppy. It has to look legit. That's why it is called 'undercover'. You go undercover to weed out the criminal."

"I know there's another reason in your mind, but I won't chase for it." He went fishing for a reply, but he didn't get one. All he got was Karen's silence and a blank distant stare.

Karen trailed her way back in the bedroom to make another phone call. Perhaps it was to ask what the heck was taking so long for her contacts to find another apartment.

Niko sat down hard on the couch next to me. I could see he was mentally exhausted.

"So, you and Karen...have you two always fought and made up like this?"

"No. She was always a bitch. A tolerable bitch, but a bitch still the same. She would be the one who found me work to do after I did one last favor for the man who helped me find Brevic. Karen is technically my boss, and she really is doing me favors by keeping income flowing."

"What sort of work did she have you do?"

"Petty grunt work that she wouldn't send her agents in for. Small time drug busts, stings, undercover work. I've done all of it."

"This guy you keep talking about. The guy who helped you. Does he have a name?"

"I never learned his name. It was probably for the best because if I knew his name, I'd be pounding his door down and strangling his neck with my bare hands for fucking me over."

"Do you think that man is afraid of you?"

"He might be. He's afraid he will lose me as a worker. He must think I am way too valuable."

"I gotta confess something. I'm not really good at planning things." I spilled.

"What's up?"

"I lied to you about asking Roman about that sex toy. I wanted to surprise you with a birthday present and a party. It looks like we really won't be able to do that for you since we might be moving here in a day or so. And we shouldn't anyway because this apartment is being watched. It would be stupid to throw a party."

"I am flattered you would do that for me. Nobody really gave me anything I wanted when it came to my birthday. It was always what they wanted me to do. But to be honest, all I want is you for my birthday."

"I don't think that's fair though. You should get what you want. Don't worry about me."

"You know I am not one to accept gifts."

"Well, you're gunna get one from me." I say and urge him to slouch down in the couch.

My hands rush to unbuckle his belt, but his hands stop me.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"You don't have to do this for me. I know you love me."

"I want to do it, and I know you want me to do it. I need you, too. It's been a while since we were alone, and things keep popping up when we are alone."

"But that's the thing. We keep getting interrupted. We will rush through what we want to do and not be satisfied." He drew his face close to mine again. "We should wait until we have all the time in the world. Then I will really show you what I am capable of. You only got a small taste of my love."

I wanted to pounce on him and completely ignore his request, but he did have a point. It was almost everytime we wanted to share each other, we would get interrupted by a phone call, or Karen shooting orders at Niko. I decided to obey his wishes and wait until we were for sure to be alone and not bothered by others.

He chuckled at me as I grumply crossed my arms acrossed my chest like a child.

"Our time will come. Have patience."

Roman came back with grocery bags a little after 6 o'clock, and he snuck me Niko's gift and birthday card when he wasn't looking. I opened the bag and saw a bottle of vodka and gave Roman a confused look. His reply was that Niko was incredibly hard to buy for, so he did settle on getting him alcohol. Inside the bag the card was in was a bunch of condoms and some lubricant. I scolded Roman for getting me condoms because I haven't even used the last box he gave us. He soon left, saying he needed to get back to Mallorie and Mila and departed hurrying his goodbye.

Karen came from the bedroom an hour later with bags in both of her arms. She tossed them at Niko, and he jumped out of his seat. His phone went on the floor again as we were watching some stupid movie.

"What the fuck, Karen?"

"Get packing, lazyass. We got a new place to hide out."

"It's about damn time. If I didn't know any better, I'd think your contacts want us to get caught." Niko said suspiciously.

"If I wanted to turn you in, I would have by now. Remember that. Now get packing."

Niko huffed and moved the bags off of his lap. I held his phone so he didn't throw it at Karen. He's been throwing and dropping his phone a lot.

He went into the kitchen and started packing away food and water into a box. I started gathering garbage, and my brother was cleaning up messes and gathering bathing items. It was a team effort, and we had the place cleaned out with in the hour. Niko was taking the bags of clothes and tossing them in the SUV. Karen was waiting inside, texting her contact, I assumed. My brother was in the passenger seat, and I was in the far back seat helping Niko with the bags.

He wiped a bead of sweat from his scarred brow, and I offered him water. It was a humid summer night, and I of course wanted to make sure he stayed hydrated.

"Thank you." He said after he chugged the water. He had just enough left to dump some on his head.

"Don't get my shit wet back there." Karen called from the front.

"Leave him alone. He's sweating like-"

"It's okay, Sharon."

I opened my mouth to object, but then I saw his face. It was a look of thankfulness. What he could be thankful for was beyond my knowledge.

He climbed over the back seat strangely enough and sat next to me. I laughed at his weirdness, and my brother closed the door. We were off to an unknown destination. Karen rarely told us where we were going if we were going somewhere.

Niko decided it was a good time then ever to try and take a nap since it looked like we we're on the road for a while. With his head resting on my shoulder, I petted him into a light sleep. It was cute because he'd let out a small sigh of contentment.

I kept looking at the time on my phone.

"Are we there yet?" I asked annoyed.

"No, and if you keep asking, I'll drive slower."

"But we've been in the road for two hours, and I gotta pee."

"Find that bottle your boyfriend was drinking out of and pee in there."

"That's gross!"

"Then hold it. You should have peed before we left. You're like a child."

Had she not been driving, I would have decked her. Her entire attitude since her date has been so bitchy. Niko seemed to tolerate it too well. Maybe because he was used to her. I do still think she has feelings for him, and she might be jealous of us being happy when she was not.

The city scenery changed into more country feeling. The houses were becoming more spaced out as opposed to the bunched up living areas we've been accustomed to. Karen made a left onto a dirt road, and the sudden rough terrain shook Niko awake. He rubbed his groggy eyes to focus around.

"Where are we, Karen?"

"We are twenty minutes away from our new hideout. Start gathering things together because we will need to rush to get this stuff inside. I keep seeing the same helicopter circling around. We might be under watch."

"Fan-fucking-tastic." He said sarcastically. "What do we do when they start shooting?"

"Run." Was her obvious answer.

Karen decided to not pull up to the hideout because I too saw the chopper Karen mentioned and pointed it out. I had the idea to circle around the area to confuse the pilot. Karen was actually impressed, and she even said so.

"Great, I've turned you into a criminal." Niko laughed.

We eventually lost the chopper, and we pulled up to a trashy looking motor home. From the looks of it, nobody has lived in the trailer in decades, judging by the Christmas decorations, and cheesy lawn flamingos.

We did rush to get everything inside the hideout like Karen suggested, and she looked around the new place. It smelled like a dead animal, and there actually was one. The poor racoon managed to get inside for something, and it never made it out. Niko was the poor guy who drew the short straw to get the critter outside and away from the home. He held his shirt up to his nose to cover up the stench, and used another shirt to act as a glove, so he wouldn't get a disease. He ran as fast as he could to get rid of the corpse. Mainly to eliminate the smell, and to not get spotted by the mysterious helicopter. Niko ran full speed back inside the trailer and took a couple of sniffs.

"It still smells horrible in here." He went to open a window to air out the place.

Karen started unpacking clothes into her dresser. She claimed the bedroom again, and I instantly objected. I suggested we take turns in the room so it was fair. She of course told me to bite her, and Niko actually spoke up before I could tussle with her.

"Karen, stop being such a bitch. You've been so resentful of Sharon since your disaster date. It ain't her fault you can't get a man."

Karen launched herself at Niko and tackled him to the ground. Niko held her shoulders as she tried to get a good punch on him. His arms blocked his face. He managed to roll her over on her back rather effortlessly I noticed.

"I'm not going to hit you. When I get up-"

Niko doubled over in terrible pain when Karen kicked between his legs. A low blow and a dirty way to establish herself as dominant. I was at his side immediately, thinking she'd hit him while he was down.

"You dirty fucking bitch!" Niko groaned out. "That was pathetic, even for you"

"Don't test me. I told you to drop it before. You didn't listen. You got what you deserve."

He made an animalistic growl before he moved to go after her. That preattack sound actually made me try to hold him back. I'm not sure the reason for my concern for her saftey. His strength proved a little too much for me as he managed to get loose from my grip around his arm. His pulling propelled himself faster than he thought and shoved Karen to the floor. She countered by pulling her pistol out and glared threateningly at him. Niko had the look of a crazed madman as he stared her down right back. Blood dripped from his nose, and I handed him a napkin from the kitchen box. His breath was hard and rapid. I swear he looked like he was about to attack again, and he didn't care if he got shot.

I stood next to him, and I tapped his shoulder. I hoped he'd calm down when he saw me. Unfortunately, this was not the case. It seemed to acutally ignite his anger, and he ran towards Karen.

"Niko, stop it!" I shouted. "We can't turn on each other like this!"

He did stop just before Karen, who pulled herself off the floor with her gun still aimed at him.

"Let's all just calm down, go our seperate ways in the trailer, and try again tomorrow. I think we are all on edge." I said calmly to try and ease them both.

"I'm not." My brother said as he ate a bag of potato chips.

Niko turned to my brother and started full gut laughing at his spectating. Karen must have missed the joke because she huffed and finished unpacking.

"That's what I needed." Niko said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Let's all just take it easy. Maybe we should try and get some rest." I regarded the time on the beer bottle clock.

Niko and I did the best we could nestling on the couch for the night. My brother took the other couch and sleep overcame him easily. Niko's thoughts kept he and I awake, and I never asked him what was on his mind. I was afraid that he'd become more restless and agitated as he poured out what was keeping him awake. Karen seemed to be trusted enough by him, but I still thought Karen had darker plans for all of us and she was to be the one to reap the benefits. Her name would shine when she turned us all in for evading the law along with a major bonus. Money makes people turn on each other.


	18. Chapter 17

I realize that I still don't have a name for my brother in this fic. I can not for the life of me think of a fitting one. To those who wish to send me names they like, I will choose one at random and give credit in the next chapter. Thank you! n_n

Chapter 17

"Planting the seed of betrayal"

The morning came slowly, and I expected us to be in jail. My eyes dialated to the sunlight that beamed through the window blinds. I looked down at Niko as he finally must have dozed off during the night. Poor guy was exhausted. Even in his sleep, he looked like he'd never wake up. I gave him a small kiss on his forehead and he stirred a little, getting more comfortable. I smiled at him, even though he didn't see me. I remembered what he told me. He has terrible night terrors sometimes, and it was best if he woke up on his own. I guess I was to remain on him to make sure I didn't wake him.

My eyes find that the couch on the other side of the mobile home was unoccupied. I panicked, thinking my brother escaped or get kidnapped during the night. I got scared, and I texted him on where he was.

His reply never came. The time was close to 9 am, and I figured it would be a good idea to try and find him. I ease off Niko's sleeping body being careful to not wake him. I looked around the home and outside the area. A few animals skittered away when I stepped outside, and the birds chirping was the response I got when I called out for him. I headed back inside and set my alarm for one minute to wake Niko up. I felt awful waking him up after he fell asleep at an ungodly hour.

The alarm beeped and still he slept. He must be out cold. My next option was to wake up Karen, and I really didn't want to do that. She'd go all bitch mode on me. I had no choice though.

I knocked on the door and waited. It was close to 9:30 in the morning and only I was awake. Go figure. It's an emergency, and nobody is awake. Lazy butts.

I tried calling Karen this time, and I got her voice mail. By this time, I thought my brother was dead in a ditch and nobody but me knew he was missing.

I swallowed hard and took my chances in waking Niko up. Hopefully he wasn't in one of his dark dreams.

"Niko?" I asked softly and tapped his shoulder.

He turned over on his side and swatted me away as his way of telling me he wasn't to be bothered.

"My brother is gone. I can't find him. I need your help."

"Did you look around?" He asked in his half awake state.

"I looked around the place and outside. I need to find him. I texted and called him."

He rolled back over stretched out his entire body to wake himself up. The infamous morning wood was aparent on him as he figuratively pitched a tent. There was no time to please him though. I was in distress.

"Where was he last?" He asked when he sat up on the couch.

"He fell asleep on that couch." I pointed out, and he looked over to see the couch was empty.

"Come on, let's look around."

He and I went outside to locate him. We ventured out dangerously far away from the trailer. I was hoping this wasn't a set up to get us outside to get picked off by the police.

"God dammit!" Niko shouted behind me.

I rushed to him and found him on his side. He tripped over a log that was hidden in the bushes. I checked out his leg to see if he was okay.

"I'm fine." He stood up and brushed off the dirt that was on him. "I have no idea where to look for him." Niko said, throwing his arms up.

"We gotta keep looking."

"Try calling him again. See where he is."

I dialed his number, and to my relief, he answered.

"Hello?" He sounded really groggy.

"Where are you?!" I asked frantically.

"I'm at the trailer. What's going on?"

"I thought you were kidnapped or worse! Why didn't you answer me when I was calling for you?!"

"Because I was sleeping?" He trailed.

I hung up on him and stomped my way back to the trailer. Niko followed suit, but he wasn't as furious as I was. I threw open the door and hollared out for him to show himself. Niko told me to be calm as I was about to give him a verbal onslaught again.

He came out of Karen's room with a towel around his waist.

"What's up?"

I almost died upon seeing this. Karen and my brother?! Oh my GOD!

"What the fuck?!" I shouted.

"What? She was being a total bitch. I thought if she got some, she'd be more calm."

"You idiot! What if you got her pregnant?!"

I pounded my way over to him, and he held his hands up in defense.

"I used your condoms. It's cool! You two were getting some. She and I were single, so I took one for the team."

"Well, aren't you just a champ. Wait...were?" I questioned.

"Yeah, she and I decided to give each other a try. She's four years older than I am, but so what?"

I had no idea what to say. I guess my brother sleeping with Karen might be beneficial to us because she had a short fuse these last few days, and I hoped to God that she and him were only a short term thing. Karen, a government official, and my brother, a wanted criminal? Together? I honestly can say I didn't see that coming. Neither did Niko as he had a matching surprise.

"So, what now?" Niko asked.

"Well, we'll just have to see. Hopefully she'll be more loose now that she's gotten some. I have to say though, she called out your name in bed."

"Mine?!" Niko asked.

"Yeah. That's why her date didn't go well. She called out your name when she slept with her date. She was dumped that night."

"She does still have feelings for you, Niko! I knew it!"

"Alright, Sharon. Let's try and go about this like sensible people. We can't let her think she is a bad person."

"She still has feelings for you!"

"Okay. There's nothing wro-"

"Now I gotta watch out for her as well as the cops! I don't want her getting to you! You're mine!" I clung to him possessively.

"Do you remember your first crush?" He said as I held him tight.

"My first crush cheated on me with another girl." I said.

"Okay, but you still had feelings for him, right?"

"Oh, hell no. He was a chump to me. He now has five kids with that woman, and she has no job. He got what he deserved."

"Okay, how about your second?"

"He and I went out respectable ways."

"But you still have feelings for him?"

"Nope. I have you. Why would I have feelings for other men?"

He chuckled. "Because I am trying to make a point here."

"To hell with your point, Niko." Another voice said.

The three of us turned attention to Karen, who's hair was a tangled mess. Niko held his lips shut about the information he was just told.

"Nobody cares about what you think." She said after she chugged from a water bottle.

Niko had a fake expression of hurt as he clutched his chest.

"That's rather rude of you. You hurt my feelings."

"You don't have feelings. You're a cold hearted killer. You should be dead inside."

"What's with the third degree? Couldn't sleep well?"

"That's none of your concern."

She sat down on the couch and held her head. I was sure she had a pounding headache.

"So, what's our plan today?"

Karen lit up a cigarette thinking hard.

"We still need to get that outfit for that party tonight." Niko mentioned.

"Already on it. My contacts are on their way with what we need. We will need another car as well. I am sure the police have my plates."

The doorbell rang and Karen answered. Her contacts have uncanny timing. I looked out the window and saw atleast five men standing outside waiting for the transaction to complete. There was another SUV with different plates. One man got inside Karen's SUV, and drove off with it. She held out a box and demanded Niko to try on the trousers. He was able to get the new ones on with no problem. All that for a fitting pair of pants he's going to wear for less than a few hours.

"They seem to fit alright." Karen said as she was looking at him.

I could tell Niko felt uncomfortable as he was being checked out.

"I think it is time we head out." Niko said, putting on the rest of the outfit.

I laughed so hard at the sight of him. There he was, in his complete stripper outfit. He looked so ridiculous. He sported himself around, getting me to laugh even harder. Karen hearded him off to her new SUV and he waved goodbye as they sped off. I watched him disappear from my sight and I already missed him.

I directed my attention to my brother who was sitting at the fold down table in the kitchenette.

"Just what were you thinking when you slept with Karen?! Were you thinking at all?!"

"Hey, easy! You and Niko have sex like junkyard rabbits, and all Karen and I hear is aggressive fucking in another room. How long did you think we'd put it off?"

"It wasn't aggressive fucking! It was making love. You wouldn't know the difference. And for your information, Niko and I only made love a few times."

"Well, that was a few times too many. Karen and I awkwardly sat in that apartment room while you two had at it in the bedroom. Do you think that's fair? You can't keep your hands off of him for for an hour."

"Because I love him! And I can too keep my hands off of him for an hour."

"You won't last five minutes. I am willing to put money on that."

"Are you making a wager?" I ask mildy annoyed.

"I bet you can't keep your hands off of Niko for a whole hour that I place $1,000 on it."

"And just where do you think you're going to get that kind of money? Put up, or shut up."

"I have $1,000 in my bank. You forget I had a life before I did heroin."

"I don't have $1,000 on me either. If you want to place that bet, you're on!"

I probably will lose.

We shake on it, and we both go to different parts of the trailer. My brother went back into the bedroom, and I stayed on the couch. From the couch, I kept looking outside to see if there was anything suspicious going on outside. I checked to see if there was any movement around the home. A black luxury car pull up moments later, and the inhabitants stepped out. It wasn't a police car, but I still kept quiet. There was a knock on the door, and I didn't move a muscle.

"Open up. We are Karen's friends. We're here to protect you."

I still kept low and out of sight. I hoped my brother was doing the same. There was a gunshot, and the door flew open. I dove behind the couch, but I was seen.

"There's no need to be afraid." The men seemed friendly even though they forced themselves in.

"Who are you?" I asked from behind the couch.

"I am Jed, and this is Nick. We were asked to protect you two by Karen."

"What happened to Chad?"

"Chad?" The men laughed. "He was an imbecile. He was the only one available to keep you from harm. You never send a woman to do a man's job." They both laughed again.

I was a little ticked off at his comment, but I let it slide for now.

I poked my head up and saw them still standing in the doorway. These two looked a little more casual then Chad did. They both wore black vests with grey undershirts and black trousers. They were both young looking for having a government job.

"Please allow us inside. We are not going to harm you or your brother."

I stood up and cautiously sat down on the couch. I motioned them to come in and sit down. They took my offer and asked where my brother was. I didn't think it was a good idea for them to know where he was in case they get the idea to turn him in. They would find out eventually though.

"He's asleep in the bedroom. He had a rough night." My words had a different meaning only known by myself.

"So, tell us about yourself, Sharon. How did you become involved in this? You have no file back at headquarters."

"It is a long story."

"We're here for a long time, it seems. Might as well fill us in."

I reluctantly filled them both in on mostly everything that we have been up to. The men nodded as I told them Niko's intentions even though I guessed his intentions were well known.

"Why throw yourself at him when you know he was a murderer?" Jed asked.

"I didn't throw myself at him. We met at a grocery store."

"And you started dating him? I don't get it. What do you see in him? He is well known in our line of work. He's killed people."

"You don't see what I see. I see a man ready and wanting to throw this all away and settle down. He told me so."

"And you trusted him?"

"Of course I did! People can change!"

"You have poor judgement. I'll give you warning. One simply doesn't walk away from this."

"You said you were able to help him!"

"I didn't say anything like that. Sure, he will have a cool off period where we won't need him, but give it a few years, and we will seek him again."

"He's doing one last thing for his freedom! He can't get married or have kids when he's in your pocket!"

"You may have noticed that Karen doesn't make the decisions. Niko is employed by us for his services, and he will continue to be so as long as he breathes."

I burst into tears. It just wasn't fair to him. He was promised that he would have his freedom at the end of all of this and here are these men telling me he won't. He has been betrayed too many times that I am surprised he even trusts people. He almost happily took this last favor, knowing his end of the bargain was coming. He looked forward to finally letting go and starting a new chapter in his life.

I called Niko to tell him the information I received. Jed jumped out of his seat and knocked my phone on the floor. He did answer, even though he had no idea what was going on on the other end.

"Zdravo?...Sharon?...Zašto me zoveš?" His voice was heard from my phone.

"Niko! Imam nešto da ti kažem!" Thank goodness he's been teaching me more Serbian.

"Šta se desilo? Zašto paničiš?"

I tried to pick up my phone, but Nick picked it up.

"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Bellic. Sharon butt dialed you, and her phone fell from her pocket. Her screen is cracked a little, so you might have to get her a new one."

"Can I talk to her?" I heard him ask.

"Sure thing." He handed me my phone and held his index finger to his lips.

"Sharon, what's wrong. Are you okay?"

"Saznao sam nešto o krompi!"

"Potatoes? Did you hit your head? What's going on?"

"Pričaćemo kasnije."

"Okay. Just make sure you've got your mind about you when you talk to me later. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I hung up on him, and held my phone close to my chest. I was hoping they wouldn't try to take it. Jed moved to me, and I recoiled. I had no training in self defense, something I wish I learned that instead of learning Serbian.

"Give me the phone." He held out his hand.

"No. It's mine."

He stepped closer to me, and my chances of escaping were thin. I looked at the shot open door, and I formulated a plan to get to their car. My heart was beating wildly. I thought: "What would Niko do?" and in a last ditch effort, twisted my body around Jed and darted towards the door. Nick got his arm around my waist and pulled me down as if he was playing football. My phone slid across the floor. I called out to my brother for help as Nick pinned me down. Jed found my phone under the kitchen table, and fortunately I turned off the screen.

"Unlock this thing now." He demanded.

"I will never betray Niko." I shout as Nick had my limbs subdued.

My brother came out of the bedroom and started to attack Jed with a lamp. He knew he was no match against a trained government official with a gun.

I managed to pull my arm out of Nick's grip and found his gun. Without hesitation, I shot Nick in the chest. His body thumped on top of mine, and I rolled out from under his corpse. Blood stained my clothes and my hair.

Jed took out his gun, and I aimed back at him. I was sure he could take me out if he wanted to, but I also knew he needed me alive with the things I knew. My brother decided to attack from behind with the lamp. He struck Jed over the head, and his body went limp.

"Come on. We need to get out of here."

"Where do you suggest we go?"

"I don't know. All I know is if we stay here, we're in trouble."

I find the keys to their car and take off in a random direction. I found a heavily wooded area where we could take refuge for the time being. I call up Niko again to let him know that Karen's contacts, and maybe even herself, are trying to screw him.

"They did what?!" Niko's rage blasted through the phone speaker.

"Jed and Nick tried to sabotage you. They said that even though you're doing this favor, they will still ask you for favors."

I heard tires screech in the background, and Niko shouting some awful language. I had no idea who he was talking to.

"Are you sure that's what's going on? Karen denies herself in trying to betray me." He said after a while.

"Yes! I shot Nick dead and my brother knocked Jed unconscious with a lamp. We are hiding out in their car in a forest as we speak."

"You killed someone!?"

"It was self defense! They attacked me! Jed wanted my phone to see if he can get any more information on you and your plan."

"Damn it, Sharon! This isn't going to go good for me!"

"I'm sorry. I had no choice!"

Niko paused for a long while, muttered the word 'fuck', and hung up on me. I was brought to tears again that he didn't forgive me. It wasn't a smart move on my part to kill Nick, but I wasn't going to let them cut off Niko's plans.

"So now what do we do?" My brother asked.

"I don't know! I'm tired of running! I want this to be over!"

I held the gun in my hand as I remember what I did a while ago. I started throwing up when the realization hit me. I took someone's life in cold blood. My brother held my hair back as I spewed in front of the car.

"You gunna be okay?" He asked.

"No. I won't be. I killed someone, Niko is pissed at me, and we are running from the law." I gathered myself together and sat in the car where it was more comforting and safe. I turned on the radio to keep me collected, and my favorite song came on. Of course, even the DJ's wanted me to be sad because the song brought me to thinking of Niko.

Hours later about 8:30 pm, Niko called me. I let it go to voice mail. A shocking thing by me and also an immature one. I was sure he wanted to apologize before he started this party sting. I couldn't bare to hear his voice. I was still upset that he didn't take into consideration my saftey over some stranger or even his plan.

He left a voice mail on my phone, and he rang again indicated by his picture on my screen. I still let it ring. I wanted him to take the hint that I was mad at him. Something I never dreamed I'd be at him. Eventually, he did stop trying to call, and I assumed he was about to start the sting operation. I prayed he'd be okay, and he'd come back safely. My brother turned to me in the car. His eyes basically told me to not be mad at Niko.

"You two look good together. You shouldn't let this thing get between you both. Listen to his voice mail. I'm sure he is really sorry."

"I can't. He seemed like he didn't care that my life was in danger. He only cared about this fucking plan. I'm beginning to think he doesn't love me." I felt my words kick my gut, and before I could stop myself, the hurt was said.

"You don't mean that. I can tell. He loves you. I can see it in him. He thinks you are his savior in a way. He sees you, and he sees his happiness."

"I'm his happiness?" I repeated.

"You make him happy. Listen to his message. I'm sure there is a reason why he hung up on you."

I take my brother's advice and listen to what Niko said.

Sharon, please pick up the phone. Answer me. I want to say I'm sorry. I don't want our day to end in anger. I have a few hours before we head into this. Please call me back.

His message was full of sorrow as I felt my hands loosen around my phone. I really wanted to call him back, but if I did now, I'd jeopardize the operation. I figured it would be best if I called him tomorrow or even on Monday when I was sure he was done at the party.

He called again as if he heard my mind from where he was. I felt myself answer, although I really couldn't handle him.

"Sharon. Why are you ignoring me?"

"I was hurt that you yelled at me. You didn't care if I was safe or not. You only cared about this stupid mission and how my self defense screwed it up."

"I know I was an asshole. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

"I don't want to talk to you for a while. Please be safe and goodbye."

"I lov-"

I couldn't hear it from him tonight. I couldn't hear him say I love you. I knew it hurt him and myself, but I didn't want to hear it from him.

My brother only shook his head at my childish behavior. I didn't expect him to understand what I was feeling. All the women he's been with have been cheap sluts. He has no comprehension on how to be in love or the hurt I feel.

I again take us away from the hideout to another cheap motel. This one looked a little more up to date judging from the outside. The radio clock rolled over to 10 pm as we went inside the room. The two bed room had hardwood floor and ugly olive green walls. Still, it was a safe spot for now as we got ready to go to sleep. I turned the tv on to see if there was anything to watch. My brother decided to fall asleep early.

Police are looking for an Eastern European man with short brown hair and brown eyes. He is roughly 6 foot with a muscular build. He is wanted in the connection of the death of a government official. A $20,000 reward is being offered to anyone with any information that leads to the arrest of this man. They are asked to call the local police department.

I began to freak out. Who was this government official? It certainly wasn't Chad. He escaped from the police when we fled. It also wasn't...wait. We left Jed alive! He called police and is trying to frame Niko for the death of Nick! He wasn't even at the motor home when he was killed! I was the one who killed Nick!


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Half way home"

I didn't know what my next move was in the morning. I didn't want to call Niko because he had enough to do with the sting operation. My brother wouldn't be of any use. My next bet was talking to Karen. She'd be able to cover this all up. Either that, I needed to turn myself in for the murder. I'll say it was in self defense. Who am I kidding? They'll take a government official over someone who isn't. I'm screwed.

My phone rang at 7:30 in the morning. It was Niko. I let it ring a few times before I answer.

"I'm assuming you've heard the news?" Niko said when I picked up.

"What news?"

"I'm done. We got the girl in custody. I am going to ask for my freedom today. It all ends here."

"I don't know about that, Niko."

"Do you know something I don't?"

"That guy...Jed, he said they will still contact you. He said they'll give you a few years, then they'll start bothering you again. That's what I was going to tell you yesterday, but Jed knocked my phone out of my hand."

"I don't think it will come to that. Karen assured me that I won't be bothered anymore. I guess time will tell."

"I hope that's the case, Niko. I really do. I gotta ask..do you remember what I did yesterday?"

"Yes?"

"That guy, Jed. He's framing you for that murder."

"What?!"

"He's trying to sabotage you. He's got your description right down to the color of your eyes and everything. There was a news report about it yesterday. There is a reward for your arrest, Niko."

"Mother fuckers!"

"Where are you? I need to know you're safe."

"I was headed back to the trailer. Now I need to head back up to the agency."

"Niko, wait. Just come back to the trailer. My brother and I are on our way back too. We need to regroup. Is Karen with you?"

"She's next to me. Why?"

"We need to get some things straight."

"Okay. Okay. I'll head back. I'll see you in an hour."

"Okay. And Niko?"

"What?"

"I-I'm glad you're safe."

"I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you, too." My heart felt better when I told him. Being mad at him really was making me miserable.

My brother and I pulled up to the trailer. Niko and Karen beat us back home. I felt myself rushing to the door, so I can see him. We met at the front door. He must have been waiting for me to come home. We both stopped before each other. The need to make things right between us was overwhelming me, and I was sure it was the same for him.

"I'm glad you're okay." I say sheepishly.

"Don't worry about me. I was worried about you. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No. I was just a little bit shaken up. I think I need to learn self defense." I half smiled.

"I can teach you a few techniques I learned."

"They are her techniques, right?" I pointed to Karen.

"No, they are not. They are techniques I learned from the Army. They are designed to incompasitate attackers, not kill them."

He extended his arm out to me, and I took his hand. I missed his touch when he was away. He lead me to the couch and sat me down. Karen rolled her eyes at us making gagging noises again. We both ignored her because we now knew the truth that she was jealous of us. She wanted what we had.

"I am so sorry I was such an asshole to you. I wasn't mad at you. I was mad at myself for trusting people too much. Look what that got me. It got you in danger. I should have been there to protect you. I said I was going to, and I failed you." He knelt in front of me as he spoke his mind. I noticed his frustration as it was plainly seen on his face. "I failed one woman in my life, I do not want to have that happen again. I couldn't sleep last night knowing you were attacked. I drempt you were taken from me. It was the most awful dream I have ever had. My past night terrors were nothing compared to the loss of you."

"Niko." I started, but his lips found mine, and I was taken by surprise. I moaned into his soft kiss, and my lips parted for him to slip his tongue into my mouth. I loved his kiss. Everything I was going to say simply vanished without a trace of memory.

Our lips seperated with a wet pop, and my heart fluttered. I was left wanting more from him, and he held a finger over my lips as I moved to him.

"Let's save it for later." He smiled.

"You're such a jerk." I laughed.

He quickly changed the subject and offered to cook up something to eat for lunch. We were a family, and he suggested we try and act like one. It was a weird family, but to him, it was important that we have some sort of humility. He made something simple, but it looked difficult to me to make. He made kebabs in flat bread with kaymak, a sort of sausage flatbread sandwich. He was a professional in the kitchen, and I was mesmerized by his movements.

The four of us ate together, but it was silence all throughout the trailer. There was much to discuss, including the all of a sudden hook up of Karen and my brother. There was atleast a dozen questions written on my face. Niko kept looking at me, shaking his head subtly. I didn't want to stir the pot, but I really wanted to know what they saw in each other. I guess the same questions could be said for Niko and I. Everyone who truely knows him can say that he is a changed man. His murderous past was seemingly dissolving away. Atleast it seemed that way to me. Other people doubt him that he could become a family man and having children. I saw myself with him as my mind traveled away. I saw him and myself with two children living in a beautiful home in a cul-de-sac. Myself holding the youngest child, and proud father Niko holding the hand of his daughter as she shyly looked away from the family portrait. It seemed to me that the future I saw with him was slowly coming to fruition. It took a tap on my shoulder from Niko to bring me back to reality.

"Wh-what?"

"I asked you if you wanted to go with us to the agency. We have our plan sorted out."

"What plan?"

Niko laughed. "I thought you were paying attention. We are going back up to the agency to sort out this murder thing. We need you to explain to them that they were aggressive towards you and you only shot him in self defense."

"Which it was! He had me pinned down! I didn't know what he'd do next! For all I know, he would have tried to rape me!" I slammed my hand on the table to accentuate my point.

"Alright, settle down." Niko eased my temper with his soothing voice.

"I don't think they'd rape you. They just wanted information from you."

"You don't know that either. I would have been found dead if I didn't stand up for myself."

Something about my words horrified Niko as I remember what he told me about his nightmare.

"I should have been there for you." His hands curled into fists. He was blaming himself for something he did not have control over.

"It's okay, Niko. It wasn't your fault. It was nobody's fault but those men."

Niko remained quiet. The self blame was still in him.

"Hey, we gotta get going." Karen interrupted. "My contacts are ready to meet with us."

"Please say we can bring her brother this time." He pleaded.

"I don't think we can. If the police spot him, we'll be chased all over the city."

"I can keep low. I'll stay in between the seats! Sharon and I have had no luck staying back."

"I still don't like the idea, but I can't stop you."

I looked at Karen in hidden shock. She normally kept us both at home. I figured now since I killed Nick, I am involved in this. So, we all piled into her SUV again, leaving the trailer behind. Our journey was going to be another long one seeing as though we were miles from any civilization. My brother hid himself in the back by sitting on the floor behind Niko. Karen started the journey back by discussing with Niko the plan over and over to make sure they got the facts straight.

"My contacts will be waiting for us on the third floor in room 346. Are you nervous, Niko?"

"No. Because if this doesn't go my way, I'm going to lose it."

"That wouldn't be wise. You'll only screw yourself in the process."

"That'll be a change. I'm being screwed by other's all the time."

"I think he will get what he wants." I chime in.

"We still have to worry about that murder. Nick was young, but he had a high position in the agency."

"That makes me feel a little better knowing I took out a big time agent and not just a pawn."

Niko laughed at my dark humor.

"I don't suppose they'll recruit Sharon?"

"I don't have that answer."

The rest of the drive was left in silence. We arrived at the agency with time to spare so we decided to get our story straight one last time. I felt butterflies in my stomach as we walked up to the building. Niko held my hand to keep me moving, and Karen led the way inside.

Soon we found the suite they were in and we filed in one by one. I really wanted to turn around and run, but Niko brought up the back. There was nowhere to run.

"We've been expecting you. Please, have a seat." A man said.

"Thank you, sir. We came as fast as we could. Traffic is terrible at this hour."

"Can I offer you three a drink? Coffee?"

I'm thinking right about now that this is going to erupt into a huge gunfight like it did back at the trailer. This man is being extremely kind to us.

We all declined the offer, and the man stood up and paced around from behind his desk with a folder. I tried to see what the papers said, but there was nothing to be seen. Niko was visably at the edge of his seat as the man made mental decisions.

"So, Mr. Bellic. Karen tells me you want your discharge from this organization."

"And full citizenship in this country. I have done everything you have asked without question. I have been loyal since day one."

"We understand that. We appreciate your help and we also apologize to you that you got captured. That shouldn't have happened."

"As long as that slimeball isn't breathing anymore, I am okay with it. I have suffered worse."

The man stopped pacing, which is good because he was making me nervous. He studied the paper he had for a few more minutes, then flipped it over. His sigh came next and sat back down. I could tell he was thinking Niko's bargain was going to end up costing them big time. Niko was promised to be free at the end of all of this, and this man seemed to be finding a way to keep him.

"Your file is rather extensive, Mr. Bellic. There are a lot of crimes that you could be charged for if we can't clear everything from your file. You could face jail time before you have your freedom. You could also be deported."

My heart stopped upon hearing this. How much has he done before meeting me.

"I know this. It is a risk I am willing to take."

"There are a lot of petty crimes on here; grand theft auto, assult, robbery, public intoxication, public indecency, driving under the influence of alcohol, mob related practices, fraud. These are already erased, but there is this charge on here; murder. First degree, second degree. These won't be easy to clear. We may have some pull in the courts, but nothing is guaranteed."

"I know that. Do the best you can. I did the best I could for you."

Upon hearing those charges, I had the idea to shout at him for everything he's done. I held my rage until later, and I think he knew he was in for it.

"There is the latest accusation on Niko. The one where he is at large for." Karen added in.

"I see that. It is pending. That charge won't hold because it is only an accusation. Niko can easily be dropped from that. You are his alliby. However; the girl. She could be charged with the murder."

"What?!" I cried.

"Relax, miss. The charge may drop as well because it was in self defense. Jed also tried to frame Niko, so the charge might not stay on you. It is falsifying facts. Jed could face jail time."

I started to calm down once I heard this. I had no idea how the system worked, but I was sure this man was pulling strings. He'd have to in order to get Niko's past wiped clean.

The man rolled closer to the desk he was sitting behind and handed Niko a stack of papers. He read through them and looked at the man.

"Is this real?" He sounded a little choked up.

"Each document you sign gets you one step closer to being discharged from this organization."

I never saw someone breeze through all of those papers he was handed so quickly. His signature was becoming less legible by the second. He handed the papers back to the man and he looked through to make sure he signed them all.

"Congratulations, Mr. Bellic. You are now formally discharged from this organization, and your services are now no longer needed." He extended his hand to shake, and Niko gave him a firm handshake back.

I could tell a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders.

"There is the issue of those charges the courts simply can't turn a blind eye to. The murder charges are harder to get pardoned."

"Most of those murder charges are favors Francis McReary, the police commissioner."

"We know who he is, and there is a chance that he could face jail time along with you. Just because you were paid to kill those people doesn't make you innocent."

"I know this. I am prepared to face what I did. I am ready for my payment."

"He can't go to jail!" I started wailing. "He can't!"

"Jail time is only the beginning. He could be deported and banned. It depends on what the court says. Yes, he's an immigrant, yes, he was paid to kill those men, but if Niko says that he was blackmailed into doing those murders, the sentence could be lessened."

"Still, he can't go to jail! Please do everything you can to get him pardoned from these."

"We will do what we can, miss. In the meantime, we will want to keep you in sight. That mobile home you were staying at will be demolished and your things moved to a nearby condominium. There, you'll feel safe from the police. We will need to get a court trial assembled for Mr. Bellic right away. We will let you know what the court date is."

He raised his arm indicating the meeting was over. Niko held the door open for Karen and I and we were escorted by two new faces. They didn't tell us who they were or what they were doing. We were told to sit in a car and wait patiently. My brother was inside the car as well.

"So, what did they say? What happened?" He asked full of curiosity.

"They discharged me, but I have to wait to get my citizenship."

"Well, that's one step forward. Why do you have to wait?"

"I have a court trial to attend. The date hasn't been set."

My brother's eyes got wider. "I thought all your crimes would be dropped?"

"There were some that couldn't be. I don't want to talk about it."

"But-"

"Shh." I thought it to be a good idea to let Niko have a while before he told the whole story.

The two men who were escorting us got into the SUV and drove off. We were again headed to another place to hide. I tried to look at Niko to gather an emotion from him. He wore a blank stare. If only I could read minds...

There was only one way to figure out what he was thinking.

"Niko?" I placed my hand on his arm to let him know I am thinking about him. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"I don't want to talk about it. Not now."

"Don't close yourself up on me, Niko. You were so open to me all those other times."

"I'm just tired. Just leave me alone. Okay?"

He seemed a little irritated, and I took my hand off him. I wanted to keep his wishes. I looked at my phone to see if there were any calls or texts from my family. Not one call. I suppose I should call them and tell them what's going on with me with a little fabrication. As I dialed my mother's number, Niko shook his head.

"What? I'm not allowed to call my family?"

"Not now. Wait. It's not a good time." He sounded more annoyed.

"When is a good time when we're bouncing around the state?" I asked with a slight back talk.

He just heavily sighed and dismissed our conversation like it was nothing.

"Answer me!"

No response.

I crossed my arms at his attitude. I don't know what made him become so angry.

The condominium we pulled up to looked rather nice on the outside. The inside had updated appliances, hardwood floor in the kitchen, and to my supprise, two bedrooms. I automatically knew that my brother and Karen would end up sleeping together, but Niko opted to take the bedroom with Karen. I was in his face after his suggestion.

"What the fuck, Niko?"

"It is best if we don't sleep together right now."

He never said his reasoning in his decision, and that hurt me. I left him on his own and went to lay down on the bed. It was really comfortable as I sprawled out. My brother entered moments later wanting to hear what was on my mind.

"I have no idea why he doesn't want to sleep with me. We've always did so. Even when we were moving from hideout to hideout. Even when he was injured, we still slept together. Why doesn't he want to now?"

"He has a lot on his mind right now. He could face jail time. Wouldn't that make you lose your ability to perform in bed? Niko probably doesn't think he will satisfy you. He's not in the mood."

"We can still sleep in the same bed atleast!"

"I don't know. Maybe he has erectile dysfunction or something."

"I know he doesn't. I gotta know why. Can you go get him please?"

"Do you promise not to get angry at him again? Or have sex?"

I didn't say a word at either comment. He went to get Niko and he did come into the bedroom. His facial expression again was blank and unreadable.

"What do you want?"

"I need to know why you won't sleep with me. Is it me?"

"God no. It isn't you. It's me."

"D-do you have a problem with..." I looked down at his groin as my eyes finished the question.

"You know I don't."

"So, what is it, Niko? Why?"

"I need to be focused on this trial. I am really nervous about it."

That made me furious. That's the only reason?

"So, why the fuck did you do all those terrible things?! You knew they were bad! You still did them anyway! Did you care that you killed those people?!"

"I didn't come in here to be shouted at by you!"

"What were you thinking?! You were an idiot!"

"God damn it! You had no idea the shit I had to do. What I still have to do!"

"Just tell me! Then I'll know! I already know you've killed people. Tell me why! I'm sure you had a choice!"

"I didn't have a choice! I was a hired gun! If I said no, the police commissioner would hand my file over and that was it."

"So, you wanted to bring the commissioner down with you?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth!"

"Then what is it!"

"Francis McReary wanted me to take out a few people who were selling drugs, prostituting women, getting into fights all over the city. I was paid to take a few out. But that was before I was killing just to get even with a few people who fucked me over."

"You don't kill people just to get even, Niko!"

"I do if they were going to kill me! It was kill or be killed as soon as I came to this country! I had to get my cousin out of debt. I had to kill a few people in order to do that. I had to get money somehow, and being an immigrant wasn't helping that. The only thing I knew how to do was to be a hired gun. Once I was able to get Roman out of debt, I was contacted by Karen's employers. The killing continued for the good of the country." Sarcasm was overflowing at his last sentence.

"Have you ever tried doing anything else?"

"I just told you, I'm an immigrant! I was incapable of getting a job."

"Had you done your life differently, what would you change?"

I wanted him to try and calm down. His anger fueled mine and I could tell it was hurting the both of us.

He came over to me and sat down hard on the bed with a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes looking for an answer, but it looked like he couldn't find one.

"There has to be one thing you could have changed."

"Not even coming here would be one."

I held my hurt in, hoping he didn't mean it.

"Maybe not even being born. What has my life become? I've killed people. There is nothing for me. I am taking you nowhere with me."

"I see a future with you. I saw one with you the other day. People call them coincidences, I call them chances. Chances to be happy. Don't you want to be happy, Niko?"

"I do. Are you happy? You said before you don't like this instability."

"I know, but I stuck with you."

"I should have waited to fall in love again."

"Love doesn't wait. Love is patient. Love happens when you are ready or not."

He smiled slightly.

"Where did you hear that?"

"A fortune cookie." I chuckled, and that made him laugh a little.

"Alright. That's good. But seriously, we need to not sleep together. Give me time, please. I promise you after all of this, we will be okay."

"I suppose I have no choice. I'll wait for you."

"Thank you."

A knock at the door prevented us from meeting in a kiss. Whoever the interrupter was was going to get a fist to the face. Niko opened the door to reveal Jed. He managed to knock out Karen and had my brother in hand cuffs. How he did it so quietly was beyond me. Niko was paralyzed with the lack of movement as Jed held a gun to his chest.

"What is this?" Niko asked.

"It's time to turn you all in. You're all wanted in some way. It's time to cash in on all of you!"

"Hold on. We're all protected by the government. You'll only get yourself in trouble. You won't get very far if the government has our backs."

"Shut up, or I will kill you."

I could tell Niko was formulating a plan. He was trying to buy time to see a way to disarm Jed.

"You don't want to do this."

"Turn around. Do something stupid, and I will end you."

He did listen, but he used the turn of his body to take Jed off guard. He spun faster around and used his arm to break Jed's elbow. The force of his impact caused Jed to drop his gun. A stray bullet discharged from the gun and ricocheted off the floor and through the wall. Niko used Jed's distraction as he held his shattered elbow and screamed in pain to body slam Jed against the wall. There the two men were in a struggle to overpower each other. Niko seemed to have the upper hand, but the well trained agent tripped up Niko by using his foot to kick the back of Niko's knee. He fell to the other knee, and Jed had easy acess to a free punch to his head. Niko collapsed and was disoriented from the blow. He stood up and started round two of his assult. Jed took the defence, hunched over, and threw Niko over his shoulder. Niko grabbed Jed's broken elbow and pulled on it, causing Jed to drop his assailant to the floor.

I couldn't take it. Niko was getting his ass kicked, so instead of witnessing this, I grabbed the nearest weapon-like object which was a lamp stand. I charged from behind Jed, who for a solid minute was currently on top of Niko pummeling Niko to near unconsciousness. He was trying to gain the upper hand, but he was currently losing. Little did Jed know, I was ballsy enough to attack back. I swung with all my might to the side of Jed's head to knoch him out. Apparently it wasn't enough as he stood up from his assult of Niko to come after me. I took a quick look at Niko who laid motionless on the floor. I was in fight or flight mode as I readied myself for the experienced Jed. He stood in front of me in a defensive pose. He seemed confident that Niko was unconscious and from the look of him, he was. My years as a health care professional worried about internal hemmoraging in his brain. I wanted to take him out, and fast. I took charge at Jed, but he knew exactly what to do. Taking the pole on either side of my hands, he tried to shake me loose. I held on stubbornly as he shook me in every direction. I planted my feet firmly on the ground to stop him from shaking. He only grinned in defiance and used his strength to pin me against the wall. He held the post against my throat, and I found it difficult to breathe. I was trapped and I called out to three unconscious bodies, hoping one would snap out of it and help me. To my surprise, it worked, and Karen was first to her feet. She lept on Jed's back and wrestled him to the floor. I slumped over from lack of oxygen and gave myself time to recover. Karen and Jed both fought it out right in front of me. I figured Karen can hold her own in the fight, so I crawled to Niko, who still hasn't moved. I checked his pulse to see if Jed actually killed him. To my relief, he was still alive. His face was already forming painful bruises and there was two huge gashes below his cheekbone. I staggered up to get Niko some ice to help with the swelling, but Jed came back after me, completely ignoring Karen.

"He dies here!" He shouted and pounced on my back.

He punched me from behind like a bloodlusted madman and I screamed out. I held my arms over my head to protect myself, but it did little in defense. I heard my brother shout out and lifted himself off the floor. He used his bodyweight to get Jed off me.

"Thank you." I wailed.

"We gotta find the keys to these cuffs! I am no use with these on!"

I directed my attention to Jed who was just now standing up from the floor. My brother launched himself at Jed again, but he was easily fought off. Karen was next after having her arm broken by Jed. She grabbed Jed from behind again and started pushing him into the table where she could immobilize him. The fight continued amongst my brother, Karen, and Jed. I lifted myself off the floor to find Jed's gun. I searched around the room only to find it under the couch. I aimed it at Jed with a personal vendetta to kill him.

"Leave us alone!" I screamed.

"Don't do anything stupid!"

"The stupid thing was you coming here and hurting my boyfriend and my brother! See you in Hell!"

That prompted Karen and my brother to get out of the way. With the two out of the way, I took aim and Jed fell to the floor with a bullet between his eyes. The attack was over, but the damage he caused was still left.

I shook with residual rage that burned in my veins. He should have never came back to attack us. I heard footsteps approaching me, but when I looked at who was in front of me, I did not recognize the person.

"Get away from me!" I growled.

"It's me, Sharon. Calm down. It's over."

The voice was recognizable, but I still had no idea who it was. Instead of continuing to talk to me, the form and another feminine form went to assist a motionless form. They lifted the body and drug it into the other room where God knows what was going on. I followed the figures into the room with the gun still in my hand.

"Sharon, put the gun down. It's Karen. It's over. Niko needs your help."

The sudden realization hit me again and I was at his side, rubbing his face where ever there wasn't a bruise.

"He needs ice! Get him some ice!"

My brother darted into the kitchen, and I heard the refrigerator door open. I still rubbed him, hoping my touch would bring him back.

"I told him he'd gone soft. If only he'd listen to me when I was training him. He would have been able to fight him off."

"He's fourty years old for fucks sake! He isn't as stealthy as he once was. When he comes around, he's going to realize that and feel worthless!"

"Age doesn't matter if he knew what to do!"

"All the training in the world would not have saved him from those punches to his head!"

By then, my brother had a bag of ice and a towel. He placed the towel on Niko's forehead followed by the ice.

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

"He will. He's just knocked out. Thank you."

"Is there anything else I can get him?"

"No. He just needs to rest."

"Are you going to be alright? You're still shaking."

"I'll be fine. I'm still wound up from the fight."

I rubbed his chest to soothe him. Mostly to make sure he doesn't wake up and attack whoever is above him.

Karen stepped out to make a phone call. I was too engrossed in Niko's well-being to care who she was calling.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Unexpected proposal"

I fell asleep around 3 am, and to my knowledge, Niko was still knocked out. I was past tired, and I was given the advice to go to sleep in the other room while my brother cared for Niko. He told me he was used to late nights, and he was concerned for Niko.

I was awakened around noon by my brother telling me Niko had recovered and was awake for about a half hour. He said that he gave Niko a drink and was shooed away by him, and he locked the door. I wanted so badly to smother him with love, but the locked door obviously prevented me from doing so.

My soft knock on the door was to not let him think he was being attacked again, and to not give him more pain from his assumed headache.

"Niko?" I called lightly. "Baby, let me in. Let me see you. I want to know you're okay."

"Just leave me alone."

"Sweetheart, please let me in. I know you're hurting more than just the physical pain. I still think you're a hero. You saved me."

"I did nothing but lay on that fucking floor. I am useless."

"No you're not!"

"I'm too fucking old for this shit."

"Babe, let me in. I'll make you feel better."

I heard him sigh deeply even from the other side of the door. It was a good five minutes before he let me inside. The room was dark, with the blinds pulled down and the light off. I can now confirm he had a huge headache as well as a head injury. Talking softly and slowly was important.

"How are you doing?"

He remained silent. I slowly approached him as he stood in the middle of the room. I don't know what his actions were going to be. Once I was directly in front of him, I held his arms down with my hands.

"Where do you hurt?"

"My heart." Came his depressed reply.

I figured it was because his pride was hanging by a thread. It was up to me to help him. I believed he was crying when I was asleep because the room felt full of melancholy.

"Niko, baby. What can I do to make you feel better?"

"Nothing. I never thought I would feel this useless. A goddamned twenty something year old knocked out an Army veteran. Shows how life is a cunt."

I normally don't like that word, but I wanted him to say what was plaguing his heart. I nonverbally convinced him to carry on by lightly caressing his arms.

"I can't believe I was overpowered by a young shit. You were the one to take him out. I never wanted you to become like me."

"I became like you to protect you. Like you do for me."

"You shouldn't have to protect me!" The sudden rush of anger made him fall back onto the foot of the bed. He held his head to prevent himself from passing out again.

"Relax, Niko." I say in front of him.

"Just go away. I don't want you here with me when I am like this. I am weak. I am old. I am trash."

His words of self abuse only made him spiral downward into a deeper depression. I've dealt with depression in my patients at the retirement home, but it was easily combated with a stupid witty joke, or a surprise gift. Niko's depression was so dark and deep that it even pulled me along. This was beyond my skill, but I still wouldn't give up on him.

I moved closer to him and cradled his head. He resisted a little. I figured his sadness was crippling him. He would have easily pushed me away had he not been feeling drained. I started to massage his scalp to relax him a little. I hoped too that it would allow him to let the hours go, so he can start on a better note tomorrow.

"Are you hungry, babe?"

"No." He whispered. I could tell it was working a little.

His breath became slow and shallow. I felt his anger and depression fading away. I felt so close to him. His hopelessness allowed me inside his aching heart, and I was able to help him climb out of his hole.

I eased him back on the bed. I wanted him to lay on his stomach to massage his back. Before he laid back, I removed his bloodstained shirt. I told him that removing his shirt would help him relax after he protested a little. He laid on his stomach and propped his head on a pillow. I could tell he got comfortable when he let out a deep sigh of content. I find his phone, and I play some of his music to help him forget. I texted my brother with my free hand while my other one rubbed between his shoulder blades. I asked him to bring my lotion, so I can go for all his senses. The music from his phone gave his ears something to listen to, his body was being massaged, and his sense of smell was a way to give him an escape. My brother's reply came asking me if we were decent.

You don't mind seeing Niko half naked, do you? He just has his shirt off.

I could tell my brother made some gross noises, but he did pull through for me and mostly Niko. He handed me the lotion I asked for and left the room, closing the door behind him. I kissed his back before I lotioned my hands. I wasn't sure if he fell asleep already, because he made no motions as I massaged his back. The only way I was sure he was half awake was when he moaned deeply at my motions. The lotion scent filled the room. I could tell he was feeling pretty good.

"I swear, you're an expert at this." He said into his pillow.

I smiled behind him. I was hoping he'd say something.

"I love you, Niko Bellic. No matter what happens, what happened to you, what you did. I'll always love you."

He unexpectedly turned under me to face me. He held an intensity I never saw on a man. His eyes screamed at me to kiss him. My body responded to his silent demand, and I enveloped him in my kiss. His arms wrapped around my body ensuring to not let me go. I wasn't going anywhere, but it was a comforting thing for him to hold something after being so damaged.

Our lips seperated only for a second for the both of us to catch our breath. We met again and the passion ignited. The love we shared was getting the best of us, and we began to take each others clothes off. My heart was racing as he took my shirt off between kisses. His hands unhooked my bra, and he tossed it on the floor.

We paused for a moment to look at each other in the eye. His dark brown eyes begged me not to stop despite Karen and my brother in the other room.

I chucked to myself as I thought. Niko held a look of confusion as to what was so funny.

"Is it an inside joke?" He whispered.

"Kind of. I made a bet with my brother. It was meant to be a joke."

"What kind of bet?" He asked when I didn't elaborate.

"He and I made a bet that I couldn't keep my hands off of you for an hour. I lost that bet."

"Well, you really didn't."

"How so?"

He smiled and that made me tear up a little. I hoped to see him smile again. Even if it was over something as stupid as a childish bet.

"You kept your hands off of me for a good day and a half. I was the one who was touching you. The bet didn't include me touching you, did it?"

"Well, no."

"How much was the bet for?"

"$1,000."

Niko threw his head back in a hearty laugh. This of course made me cry. He wiped my tears away when he heard me lose it.

"Thank you so much for making me not feel like total shit. I can't believe you made me feel better."

"I've worked with a lot of depression at my job before I met you. You're case was the worst I've seen, but it was the typical symptoms."

"Typical symptoms?"

"Solitude, refusing help, food, water, seclusion, not being able to look at others in the eye, staying in dark areas. I knew if I fought all of those to get to you, I'd get you to smile again."

He smiled once more and drew closer. His lips brushed against mine, and I trembled over him as my arousal thumped in my veins.

"I sure hope you plan on doing something with a half naked me on you." I say against his lips, causing him to raise goosebumps. I really needed him.

A knock came from the other side of the door and we both turned to glare at the intruder as the door opened. My brother averted his eyes and mocked a dying noise like it was torturing him to see us the way we were.

"What the Hell do you want!" I shouted.

"Just wanted to see if you two wanted something to eat." He said with his hands over his eyes. "Karen is ordering pizza."

"I'm sick of pizza." Niko pouted.

"Well, it's that or Chinese, and I am sick of Chinese."

Niko rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Get pizza then."

"Pretpostavljam da je seks izvan prozora." I said.

"U pakao sa pizzom. Sviđa mi se hladna pica. Daj mi tu pičku"

Before I could ask what he said, he lifted me from the bed and laid me on my back. I assumed it was about sex, and I readily and hungerly awaited his cock. He loomed over me and all my senses were wanting him to just lose it.

He sent his pants flying and his erection was throbbing with need. He rushed to remove my pants and threw them over his shoulder. He took a deep inhale from my pants and grinned deviously. My sent fueled his arousal. My face flushed a deep red, and my body temperature was hot enough to burn through the mattress. His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt my arms enclose around his neck. All I saw was him. The background faded away to yeild to my lover.

Niko brought his hand between my legs and rubbed my clitorous. I threw my head back at his foreplay. His index and middle finger wriggled over it, and I was moaning as loud as I could. His lips kissed mine to keep me from yelling. He played around with my clitorous as he entered inside me. The feeling was beyond comprehension as he filled me as I so desired for a long time. It almost hurt as I felt my nails burrow into his skin. He let out a growling chuckle as his way of telling me he wanted it rough. I lifted my head to see him still smiling with his eyebrows drawn low. I sank my teeth into his shoulder. He roared out in ecstacy and rammed like a wild stallion. His vigor and stamina that he lacked before exploded inside his body. I wondered how long it's been since he was this rough in bed. I could tell he was enjoying himself. I certainly was enjoying his work.

He brought his cock out of me, and he beckoned me to sit up. I did as commanded, and he stuffed his member inside my mouth. I did the best I could to please him. I wrapped my hand at the base to remind myself how much I could take in. He moved his hips along with me sucking him off for a few minutes. He hissed through his teeth and that made me respond by standing up. I wanted him back inside me. He laid on the bed, and I followed. I didn't delay as I forced him inside of me. The pain felt good, and he thrusted upwards rapidly. His heels pressed into the mattress to give him leverage as he madly fucked me. He slapped my ass, and I called out his name as if I was his pet. I looked down at him and his neck muscles were rigid and his eyes had a drive in them.

He grunted along with his thrusting and it was making me go wild. He slapped my ass five more times and continued to drive upward. Moments later, his hands held my wrists down as if to try to limit my movements. I leaned forward as he was getting a little too much for me to take. My mouth draped open as I no longer could form words. My tits moved with his thrusts and that made him lose it. His mouth found my nipples and nibbled down to increase my wetness. It worked as I felt my juices coat his cock. He moaned something in Serbian again along with his reckless drilling.

I was immobilized by his strong hands holding me down, but I was able to lift myself up higher so he couldn't reach. This only drove him crazy and I was on my side in an instant. He lifted my leg high above his shoulder and he grasped onto it. He directed his penis inside me again, and it filled me. A loud gasp escaped from my lungs as he plunged in deeper and at a new angle. My eyes lost focus and it was all a blur as he continued on. It seemed like he could go on for hours with the stamina he had. His teeth raked up my leg and his bottom lip followed behind. His teeth clenched down as a chunk of my skin had his teeth marks. His breath was becoming harsh as he breathed against my leg. He continued on for a while like this with his eyes closed hard. I did my best to keep up with him. It would mean the world to him if I climaxed with him.

He suddenly stopped and brought my leg back down to the bed. His eyes had a tenderness I wanted to see after taking all he had.

"Am I hurting you?" His voice was ragged as he continued to take deep breaths.

"Yes. But it feels so good. Don't stop."

That was all he needed to hear as he covered his body over mine. Almost like he wanted to stop time from going on so we can focus on each other. His rough facial expression he had faded away into a softer loving expression.

"I always wanted someone who can take everything I had. I was tired of being careful and not able to lose it like I just did."

"So, now you know I can take it, are you just going to bullshit around? Or are you going to fuck me like the dirty girl I am?"

"You're not dirty. You're sweet with just a little bit of tart. The sweet is what I like. Moja slatka ljubavi. Ja bih to mogao zauvek."

His lips claimed mine in a passionate kiss. A moan escaped him as out lips broke apart. His fingers found my swollen pussy and wiggled them inside. My arousal swarmed over me as I could feel myself getting ready to squirt. Moans of boarderline pain mixed with pleasure escaped me and I coated the blankets with wetness.

"Well, that's the first time I did that to a woman." He chuckled.

"Niko, finish me." I called to him.

He made no objections and dove into me again. I cringed in pain from my recent squirt, but I wanted him to come with me. He held my shoulders to allow him to get a little deeper with each thrust. His head tossed back and his mouth hung open. He was getting swept under my spell.

"You. Feel. So."

He moaned deeply and squeezed his eyes closed tight. My climax came first before his. My muscles clamped down on him tight and he withdrew quickly. It was just in time for him to climax all over my stomach. He trembled over me as he struggled to hold himself up. It took my coaxing to get him to lay down on me. We both took deep breaths as we both recovered together. I felt a smile as he placed his head at the bend of my neck. I thought to myself that I finally was able to last as long as he did. I'm sure he was thinking the same thing, but I wasn't able to see his reaction.

"I love you, Niko Bellic."

I felt his chest shake as he chuckled against my skin.

"I love you even more." He murmered.

His music was the only thing that was heard in the room. Our breathing slowed, but we still remained as one. I could swear he fell into a light sleep as he took in my scent. It soothed him.

I realized suddenly that my pants were still over his shoulder and I laughed.

"What's so funny?" He murmered once more.

"You're an animal."

He lifted his head which I was sure it felt five times heavier from being overspent.

"I'm an animal?"

"Yes. Your behavior could only be described as animalistic. I loved it."

He took a long sigh and smiled.

"You make me so happy."

I felt a tear form again. I was glad I made him happy because he made me happy too. His next comment frightened me however.

"Can I ask for your hand in marriage?"

I froze. There was nothing I could say. If I said no, I'd hurt him. If I said yes, I'd hurt myself. I wasn't ready to be married to him, and I knew he wasn't ready.

I took a long inhale to explain why I wasn't ready, but he kissed me by surprise. I accepted his kiss and held him close to my body.

"You don't have to answer that. It was in the moment. I shouldn't have asked. Forget it."

"No, Niko. It's okay. I love to hear how you feel. Good and the bad. I want you to tell me these things. I want to be able to help you if I can if you are having problems and I want to be there to smile with you when you're happy."

"I doubt you'll be able to help me all the time."

"But you know I will be there for you when you're feeling like crap."

He took my hand and held it to his chest. I felt his heart beat and again I smiled.

"Svaki otkucaji srca su za vas. Ja živim zbog tebe."

I understood a little bit of what he said.

"Bolje da nastaviš da živiš, ili da te ubijem." I teased.

"Pizza is here!" Karen shouted.

"It looks like we don't have to eat cold pizza after all." I said and climbed off of him.

The loss of contact seemed to make him frown slightly. In order to keep him happy, I extend my hand to him off the bed. We decided it was best we both get dressed to eat together. I take my pants off of Niko and laugh uncontrollably. The sudden noise alerted the two outside. Sure we were making a lot of noise when we were having sex, but my laughter sounded like shouting. The two opened the door to see the both of us standing in the nude. Niko had the typical deer in the headlights look while I slid behind him.

"Will you two knock next time!" He said as he threw his hand in front of his manhood.

The door slammed shut followed by a unison apology.

Minutes later, Niko and I emerged from the bedroom, starving beyond comprehension. It was hard work keeping up with him.

"I guess you two will be sleeping together after all." My brother said.

"I guess so." Niko said as he took a bite of his pizza.

I gathered him and I a drink of water and sat next to him. He and I made goofy faces at each other like children as we ate. Karen told us to knock it off or one of us would choke.

"I am not doing CPR on idiots."

We both laughed even though we were both insulted. It was close to 9 pm, and both Niko and I were thoroughly exhausted. The both of us crashed on the couch as Niko held his phone while we tried to watch a movie. I was snuggled up against his chest. His warmth comforted me as I was the first to fall asleep. Niko was for sure moments after me.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"White lies"

I woke up with a blanket placed lovingly over me and a note folded up in my hand. I assumed it was from Niko. I hastily opened it up to read the contents.

Dobro jutro, moja slatka ljubav. (Good morning my one sweet love); I hope you slept well without me to be there to kiss you awake. Karen and I have to leave early this morning to inform her contacts what had happened. It could be used in my case for an innocent verdict. The information about Jed attacking us could benefit us. I will let you know later what I mean. We will be home hopefully soon so I can snuggle myself into those loving arms that I already miss.

Your loving soulmate:

Niko

I wondered what time he woke up in order to talk to her employers. I also wondered how a murder can benefit us? What kind of people would use a life like that to gain advantage? I assumed Niko and Karen only understood how to work it, so Niko could avoid prison.

My brother was enjoying a bowl of cereal and a cup of orange juice in the fancy dinette. I walked to him to start my many questions.

"Did you see Niko and Karen this morning?" I sat across from him.

"Nope. I woke up like an hour before you. Karen gave me some cash and I bought some stuff for breakfast."

"Okay. Cool." I say uninterested in what she did. "Did she happen to tell you what was going on today?"

"Only that they were going back up to the agency to chat."

"That's all?"

"Yep. I suppose it is about what happened yesterday. That guy did work at that place. What did Niko tell you?"

"He just left this note telling me where they were going and that he'd explain later when they got back. He didn't say how long it would be."

"Well, it seems like they are off on an adventure without us again."

"I guess so." My heart felt heavy. I miss him again.

"He'll be back with good news. I'm willing to bet that."

"He asked me something that scared me yesterday after we had sex."

I paused to allow him to guess.

"Did he ask you if you were pregnant?"

I choked on air at his question.

"What the Hell?!" I caughed.

"Honestly. You two have sex all the time without condoms. Unless he withdraws."

"Yes, you dumbass!"

"He must have had a lot of practice."

"Can we get back on topic please?"

He laughed hard at my embarrassment. He continued to eat after he calmed down.

"What did he ask you? I give up."

"He asked me to marry him. Then he told me to forget he asked. Should I tell him no or yes?"

"Don't give him an answer. It's best to leave a question like that hanging in the air for a while."

"But if I don't answer him, he might get hurt still."

"Listen to me. If you say yes, and you're not ready, you'll only lead him onto nowhere. If you say no, you'll hurt him. It's best to let that question fade away."

"He told me to forget it because it was in the moment. I guess he was caught up in heavy strong emotions."

"If he said to forget it, then forget it. You're overthinking it. That's always been your problem."

"If you say so, I will. I just hope he doesn't think I don't love him. Because I do. I really do."

"Okay, and it seems like that's good enough for him for now. Just forget he asked."

He got up from the table and fixed me some cereal and poured some orange juice. I thanked him full heartedly as he dismissed himself to take a shower.

I was left alone in the dinette to think of Niko and I happily married. An ear to ear grin on Niko as he was truly happy and free. Roman standing next to his cousin being the best man, and Mallorie being one of the bridesmaids. I think I'll have to choose my friend, Brittany as bride of honor. Thinking of her led me to text her to let her know how I am.

Hey, so. What's up? Sorry I completely blew you off. It's just that I decided to give this guy a chance. And I am really glad I did. He's really sweet. Someday you'll get to meet him.

Her reply was immediate.

Where the Hell have you been? I haven't heard from you in a long time! I thought you were in trouble!

No. I'm okay. Like I said, I got caught up in this relationship. I'm sorry.

She didn't reply, but she decided to call me.

"Where are you? Are you safe?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Why do you think I am in danger?"

"Maybe because you've been ignoring my calls and texts! I thought that guy had you captured!"

I pulled my notification bar and there were dozens of calls and texts. I guess I was blinded by Niko and the life he has.

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have cast you aside. Forgive me?"

"I will once I know where you are. I want to meet this guy."

"Not right now. He's...at work. I am staying at his... apartment for a while."

"Where is his apartment?"

Shit. Now I gotta lie to my best friend. Or I won't tell her.

"I can't tell you."

"Why? Is he threatening you? Is he abusing you mentally? Physically? Why can't you tell me?"

"It's difficult and you wouldn't understand."

"I am a smart girl, Sharon. I'll find out somehow."

"I...wouldn't waste your time."

"I'm calling the police!"

Fuck!

"No! Don't do that! I beg you. He's not abusing me at all. I am safe."

She held her speech as to why I shouldn't be with him as mysterious as he sounds to her.

"I gotta go, Britt. Talk to you later."

Before she could say otherwise, I hang up on her.

That was stupid. My brain mocked.

My brother came out of the bathroom and could sense the disparity. He sat down where he sat before and watched my hands shake as they held my phone.

"What happened?"

"I might have screwed Niko."

"You are realizing this all of a sudden now?"

"Not like that, you idiot!"

"What do you mean? What did you do?"

"I texted my friend and she seems to think Niko has me held captured against my will. She asked where I was and where Niko was. I told her he was at work and I am at his apartment. When she asked me where his apartment was, I didn't tell her where. So, she thinks I am tied up or something. She said she is calling the police, and I begged her not to."

"Do you think she will?"

"Who knows! I know she cares about me and my saftey, but I begged her to not call and I assured her I was safe."

"Let's just wait for Niko to get back. You gotta tell him what happened."

"Oh my God! I can't! I can't tell him that I screwed up his plans!"

"You have to. Otherwise, he'll find out when he's being arrested."

I started to shake again. I can't find the nerve to tell him what happened. The next hours flew by full with my worry and tears. Niko and Karen came home around 4 pm. He wore a huge smile as he approached me and I thought I was about to wipe it off with what I did. I started to cry and fell to my knees. He ran the rest of the way and held me close.

"Hey! What's this? What happened?"

"I'm sorry, Niko! I'm sorry!" I sobbed into his shoulder.

He held me tighter and placed the palm of his hand on the back of my head.

"What happened?" He asked as he placed his head against mine

"I fucked up big time. My fuck up could cost you! I'm such a fucking idiot!" I attacked myself.

"Come on, no you're not."

"You won't say that again when I tell you."

"Tell me."

I hyperventilated as I shook uncontrollably in his embrace. He pulled me away and placed his hands on my shoulders to try to get me to stop. His eyes locked onto mine drawing the truth from me.

"Niko, I am so sorry. I texted my best friend to tell her how I was doing. She seems to think you have me kidnapped and I am in danger. She called me and she said she is going to call the police to find you. They are gunna find you, Niko. I'm sorry!" More tears formed in my eyes.

"They aren't going to find me. We're protected, remember?"

"They won't find us?" I looked through my tears at him full of hope. For four hours I was dreading that I single handedly sabotaged this mission and come to find out that it was nothing of the sort.

"If you told your friend where I lived, the police would be lead to my apartment. We aren't there, are we?" He talked slowly and simply. He seemed to understand that I was an exhausted mess and my brain was incapable of thinking things too deeply. It wasn't insulting to me at all. In fact, I was glad he was using patience with me.

"So, the police arrive at an empty apartment and the trail goes cold. Would it make your friend feel better if I talked to her?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea. She's smart and she'd get enough information out of you. She'll back you into a corner where all you have is to tell the truth."

"Geez, does she work for the police department? Sounds like she's good at getting people to talk."

"No. She worked with me. She's really nice. She's not a bully. She is just really worried about me. I noticed I haven't responded to any of her calls and texts, and she thinks I am tied up somewhere."

"I didn't think you'd be into that." He winked.

I held my voice and laughter. Can't he take anything serious?

"So, I didn't screw with your plans?"

"Not at all. And I have good news for the both of us."

I smiled widly at him, waiting for him to spill it.

"Tell me! What did they say?"

"Let me start with what was arranged between Karen and myself. We are going to use Jed's death to my advantage. Each murder I have done was in self defense, which has some truth. Jed's death was the one case that sealed the deal. He wanted to kill me yesterday. Karen has him on tape saying it. It could be used in those other cases that I was threatened, so I killed in self defense. The police commissioner can say that he paid me to kill those men, but the money was paid under the table and therefore it is untraceable. It would be a concrete story in the eyes of the court. They could throw my case out and that would put things in motion to get my citizenship papers. We are so close! I can't wait!" He was shaking me a little, displaying his excitement.

It made sense to him, but it made no sense to me. I guess if he came back happy from the results, it was a good meeting.

"So, when is the court date?"

"They gotta find a judge and juries to oversee the case. It could take a few days to assemble. Plus they need to find evidence for and against me. They gotta get a summons for McReary."

"Are you nervous?"

"A little. The court trial could last months for all I know, or it could be a short trial because there hardly is any evidence against me."

"So, are you lying to the court?"

He sealed his mouth shut. I didn't like the idea that he has to lie to people to get his citizenship.

"I thought you'd be excited for me."

"I am. But if you have to lie to the court, that makes it no better."

"Okay, wait a minute. When your friend asks you if she looks okay in a dress when you know in your mind that she looks horrible, do you tell her that, or do you tell her that she looks good? It's a white lie."

"That's totally different, Niko! I'm not okay with this!"

He shook his head visably disappointed in my choice not to side with him.

"What do we do now? I need you with me on this, and I can't do this when you're not supporting me. I thought you said you love me. No matter what I did, no matter what I am doing."

"It doesn't feel right."

"These men I have killed, they were destined to spend the rest of their lives in jail or to be put to death. I was only helping out the system by doing the one thing I was good at. The one thing I could do to survive here in America. Now I find that later on in my life that my girlfriend has a pang of guilt. Typical!" He paced back and forth in front of me while I remained still.

"I'm sorry, Niko. I can't. It's not right."

He huffed in disbelief. "I suppose you're going to turn me in, then? Do your good deed to make you feel better?" He challenged. "Or maybe I should turn you in? You killed two guys in a month. That's as good as me when I came to America. Maybe the judge will give me my citizenship when I turn you in?"

His words hurt me like a razor blade cutting deep inside my heart. He hurt me bad this time. I wailed out at him and punched him as he stood there.

"I'm sick of your bullshit!" I tried to stop myself from saying more that could damage us further.

"Leave!" He pointed to the door and I shoved him out of my way. He actually stumbled backwards from my strength.

I slammed the door behind me and I ran in a nowhere direction. My cries alarmed pedestrians, but they all never came to my aid. My phone rang and I saw it was my brother. I ignored him as I walked in pain around the condominiums. I found a local park and sat on a bench. I cried into my sleeve and I didn't care who saw me. My brother tried to call me again. I turned my phone off to have silence. I held by my morals. Niko said it was the commissioner who lied, but that wasn't the truth. Then Niko was going to lie about being paid to kill those men. He was going to tell the court it was all in self defense. It started to make more sense in my head as I replayed what he said. And the more I heard it in my head, the more enraged I became.

It was around 10 pm when I decided it was time for me to return back to the condo. My brother was anxiously waiting outside for me to come back. He ran through the street when he saw me coming back home. His hug made me feel good because I knew I was missed by atleast one person out of the four of us. Karen I was sure she could care less. Niko I was sure he was still being an asshole.

"She's back!" He called inside the condo.

Karen was in bed, and Niko was a drunken mess. He had atleast eight or nine beers in front of him, that bottle of vodka that I bought him for his birthday, and the kitchen trash can by his side with his vomit in it. He was drinking himself into oblivion, and I was sure he was unconscious. He had his head down on the table with both of his arms dangling down from either side. Yep. He was unconscious.

I walked to him to try to bring him back to the land of the living. He twitched in his deep sleep and I saw an empty tissue box. He'd been crying at my absence. I felt sorry for him, sort of. Only because we didn't talk it out like couples facing a difficulty and a difference of opinion do. Instead, we didn't want to hear what the other had to say or to hear alternatives. I petted his head trying to get him to regain consciousness again.

"You didn't try and stop him from doing this to himself?" I demanded.

"I wasn't about to confront an Army veteran. He was beyond mad when he started drinking. He was punching shit and throwing shit. There wasn't any way I could calm him down anyway!"

"Okay. Geez." I bent down to Niko and put my lips by his ear. "I know it hurts, Niko. Let's talk."

He made no movements and I decide to have my brother help me get him into bed. I grabbed his upper half and my brother took his ankles. He was as limp as a corpse as we clumsily made it to the bedroom. We managed to get him on the bed, and still, he remained unconscious. He'd have one massive hang over in the morning.

I take myself to the shower to wash off the sour day. I felt better once I was clean. I throw on a tank top and a pair of sweat pants and crawl in bed with Niko. Before I did, I thought it was a good idea to get the shirt he had on off. It was covered in vomit. I take his shoes off in hopes that I was making him more comfortable. I was sure I was expected to bend a little in my morality as well as he was expected to in order for the both of us to be happy with this plan. Karen had her work cut out for her.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Countdown"

I woke up early after having a horrible nightmare about Niko being killed for everything he's done. One of his victims family members catching him off guard and killing him on the spot right before me. His life fading away as I struggled to keep him alive and dial the emergency services. Only to have him fade completely away as the paramedics arrived. It was dreams like that that made me worry more for him. How long would it be until he was attacked for the things he's done? How long would it be for me to be killed just knowing him? I wanted more answers from him. It's true I said I loved him. Even though he had done some horrible things when he was younger. He did have a point. He couldn't do anything legally to get money, so it had to be the illegal activities that he got paid for. And from the sound of it, Roman had a massive debt that would take Niko years upon years to pay off if he got a regular job. Niko paid off the debt in less than two years with all the money he got. It was after the fact he got Roman to finally move forward with his life, did Niko consider finally moving forward. But, like he said, Karen's employers got their hooks into him and blackmailed him before he could start. He was told if he didn't do the things he was told to do, they'd turn him into the police and he'd have a prison sentence.

I was deep in thought when I missed what the person at our door asked.

"Say that again?" I whispered.

"I asked you if you're hungry?"

I focused my eyes and saw my brother standing in the doorway.

"I kinda am. What are you making?"

"I was going to make pancakes for everyone, but I see he's still out."

"Oh, he will be for a long while after drinking all of that."

"Is he still alive? He hasn't moved a muscle since we got him in bed."

I watched his chest rise and fall and nod to confirm his status.

"You better make sure you're there when he wakes up. He's going to be hysterical if you're not by him."

"I will be." I move to him and kiss his forehead.

"How are you able to forgive him so quickly?" He asked as I easily slid off the bed.

"I forgive him because I was also wrong."

"How? He was pretty mean to you."

"Because we were supposed to talk through our problems. Not shout at each other. I left him just as bullheaded as he was. Neither he or I was willing to compromise our morals."

"That's pretty smart of you."

"It's also mature. I am willing to work with him as along as he is willing to do the same."

"How can you work with something like this situation?"

"That's why we'll need Karen's people to help."

"What if they can't help?"

"We will figure it out. I know we will."

The pancakes were piled on the table for anyone to walk by and grab. He made ten pancakes just in case everyone was more hungry then they thought. I sat down and my stomach rumbled. I dug in and devoured the pancakes in a hurry because I could hear groaning from our bedroom. That meant Niko was awake, and I was sure he was in a lot of pain.

I gathered a plate for him in case he was hungry, and a cup of coffee.

"I'm coming, Niko." I called to him, as I ran to his aid.

"Is that you, Sharon?" His voice was husky and it sounded dry.

"It's me, baby. Don't move, okay?"

He lifted his head up to visually see me, and his head went back down. I was sure he had no control of his body at the moment. He'd sober up soon. The main thing was to get him rehydrated.

That idea made me rush to het him a glass of water to help him replenish lost hydration. I eased Niko up out of bed and held the glass while he sipped from it. I told him to take small sips so he won't aspirate.

"Thank you." He weakly said when he got his fill of water.

"Are you hungry?"

Despite his stomach rumbling, he declined my offer of food. I set the dish aside and held him against my body. I had no remedy for his hangover readily available, so my company was the next best thing. He had the awful stench of alcohol and vomit on his skin, but I didn't care. I was there by his side no matter what.

I heard a light knock on the door and I verbally allowed the person to enter. The light filled the room amd Niko twitched at the sudden change of brightness. A deep groan came from him, and I petted him to console him.

"What is going on?"

"Karen wants Niko to get up. We're supposed to head back to the agency. There seems to be a slight snag in the plan."

I curse under my breath. What terrible timing for the agency to summon us back up.

"Can't they just call us and tell us what's wrong?"

"Sounds like that's gunna be a no. Sounds like Niko has to sign more papers. They didn't say what. They said they'd have more to say when we get up there."

My attention directed itself to Niko, who rolled over on his other side to get relief from the light.

"Come in and close the door. We have to keep it dark in here."

My brother did so, and sat in the arm chair in the corner. He watched as Niko stirred a little in bed to try to get himself moving. It took my caresses to wake him up slowly. I climbed out of bed in hopes it would give him the idea to get up. He swung his legs off the side of the bed, but his head found his pillow and threw his arm over his eyes.

I started the bath water for him and set out his clothes. I was to help him get washed up. Something I thought to be a little less intimate than making love, but this was going to be the first time I was to help him in hygiene.

I walked back to the bed to find Niko not making much progress in getting up. I grabbed his hands and eased him to a sitting position. I held his head to look at me, ensuring I had his attention.

"I'm going to help you get cleaned up. You're in no state to do it on your own."

"Thank you." He said with his eyelids drooping gradually.

I lead him to the bathroom where I stripped him of his clothes. He stood there with his eyes closed. I figured he wouldn't be able to help much. I guided him inside the shower and I made sure he didn't slip. Once inside, I saw his alertedness return. His eyes slowly opened and ran the water over his head. I lathered soap in a wash cloth and rubbed him down acrossed his chest. A small smile formed on his face as his sobriety returned.

"Hey." I smiled back at him.

"Hey." He greeted back.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit, but you're making it feel better."

"Glad to hear."

I continued to wash him and he stood there while I did. I could tell he was really enjoying this and I wondered again if any of his other girlfriends did this for him for any reason. I wouldn't mind doing this again for him even if he has nothing ailing him.

"I have to talk-"

"Shh." I interrupted him. I knew what he was about to say and now wasn't a good time to talk.

"But I really-"

"Shh."

"Can I just-"

"Shh." I smiled at him as I washed his underarms.

"You're really a pain."

I laughed hard and dropped the wash cloth. He bent over, picked it up and continued washing himself. I felt a swell of happiness watching him.

He stood under the water, and the soap washed off his body. I was itching to touch him as the water flooded over his pecs, down to his abs, and dripped off the tip of his flacid penis. I felt myself getting hotter and I squeezed my legs together to put out the thumping fire.

"Do you want to join me?" He extended his arm out to me.

I really wanted to join him, but I was pretty sore from the last time he fucked me. I placed my hands on the bathroom walls for stability. My knees were going to jelly as I continued to watch him in the water. Despite my soreness, I sent my clothes flying and joined him. I felt giddy as the same water that coated him was now running down my body. I've shared a shower with my other ex-boyfriends, but for some unexplainable reason, I really enjoyed being with him.

He moved his arm between my leg and lifted it up at the bend of my knee. I knew where this was going and all the preparation couldn't get me ready for his sex again. I still craved it as my pussy tingled. His lips hungrily found mine as he kissed me from below. He was positioning himself just outside my moist pelt. His other hand massaged my breast getting me turned on. His taste was driving me wild as I moaned into the kiss. His entry was more painful then I thought. I clung to him tightly and a sharp gasp came from my lungs.

He pulled away from me to look at my eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?" He purred.

"It hurts a little. But I really need you."

"I think we should give you a rest. You're sore. I could tell. You're resisting against me."

"I really need you."

He kissed me again as he still held my leg up. My arms went around his neck and he began to move inside me. His kiss made it a little easier to accept his sex. He was more yeilding to me this time, ensuring he didn't hurt me. He tilted his head against mine to deepen it, and I could swear I felt myself drenching his cock with my wetness. He lifted my leg a little higher without breaking our kiss. My hands found his shaft and I held onto him. He immediately stopped and looked at me after letting my lips go when he sucked on my lower lip.

"Did I hurt you?"

"It hurt. Niko, I can't take you right now."

He kissed my cheek and smiled warmly at me. "We don't have to do this. I can relieve myself."

"You shouldn't have to. I'll finish you."

He slid out of me and set my leg down. I moved south along his body, planting kisses on the way down. When my lips found his penis, a jolt of pleasure pulsed in his groin. It caused his penis to tap my chin. He was rock hard after the slow teasing sex he gave me.

"Well, someone likes being coated in kisses." I teased and took him in my hand.

"Of course I do. You feel so good to me. Everything about you makes me feel good."

I grinned below him sharing his passion. I figured I should finish him in the shower, but yet again, a knock was heard over the shower.

"Hey! What's taking so long? We gotta get going!"

"God damn it, Karen." Niko shouted. His voice boomed within the bathroom.

He turned the water off which meant our time was over. Poor guy never even got a release. Nor did I for that matter. This is exactly what Niko meant by being interrupted nearly everytime we were alone.

Niko was the first to get dressed between the two of us. He had a really hard time getting his erection to cooperate. He caught himself in the zipper of his pants, and that made me wince in pain. Once he was fully dressed, I told him I didn't bring clean clothes for myself. He agreed to get me something to wear. Having put on what he got me, we both came out of the bathroom. I commented on how funny he looked when I watched him walk from behind. He laughed sarcastically as he continued on to the kitchen to make himself another coffee. I noted how quickly he seemed to sober up.

Karen wrangled all of us inside her SUV once his coffee was made and we were headed back up to the agency.

"Did they go into more detail as to what was so important that we had to leave?" Niko asked after he took a small sip of his bitter coffee.

"There is a problem. Francis McReary was shot and killed yesterday during a shootout at the bank. I guess he was called in as a negotiator for the gunman."

"McReary is dead?!" He said in disbelief.

"Yes. It seems like the court date is going to change to tomorrow since they won't be needing him anymore."

"Well, shit." He chuckled in shock.

"My thoughts exactly. It seems that Patrick McReary will be one of your witnesses. I called him this morning. He isn't allowed to contact you at all, so if he calls you, ignore him. Or you'll end up hurting your case."

"How?"

"If the phone records are pulled at some point, it will show that you and Patrick contacted each other. It just doesn't sit right in court that the man testifying with you was calling you. Just ignore him, alright?"

"Okay. No problem."

We arrived at the agency and Niko spotted a man who he seemed to be familiarized with. He tried to call out from the other end of the hallway, but Karen clasped her hand over his mouth.

"What the fuck are you doing? Don't communicate with him!"

"I can't talk to him either?"

"No! No communication whatsoever!"

She coralled the three of us inside the office where the man we talked to before had his chair back to us.

"Were you followed?"

"We came as fast as we could, sir."

"But where you followed?"

"Don't think so."

"Good. Because the police seem to think we were responsible for the death of Mr. McReary."

"I thought this place had a secret location."

"It was up until Jed and Nick told the police chief where we were located. Those two were snitches. We are actually very pleased the girl took them out. You did us a favor by eliminating those cunts."

"So, you're not going to worry about those two deaths?" I asked.

"Absolutely not. As far as we're concerned, those shit buckets never existed. We are so pleased that we are even more determined to help Niko get what he wants. We searched up a few of his friends by hacking into his phone and looking through his contacts. We have a few willing to side with you in this case. Brucie Kibbutz, Patrick McReary, and even an old girlfriend of yours, Kiki Jenkins. She'll give you enough pull in the court."

"Wait. You hacked Niko's phone?" I asked.

"We have a team of experts who specialize in hacking. We only took what we needed."

"Well, it seems like my citizenship is sealed." Niko crossed his arms full of confidence.

"Don't get too cocky. We said we'd help you, but you should never assume the outcome of anything. The court date is tomorrow at 9 am. Wear something respectible to make an impression on the jury. Prepare a speech to open your arguement as to why you are seeking legal residency after ten years. Throw in a sob story of your opression to sway them. Let them repeatedly know that you killed criminals for the good of the community and it was mostly in self defense. Make it sound good so you finally are proven innocent and you can finally be legal."

"Thank you for the advice, sir. What are these papers you needed me to sign?"

"Court summons, legal stuff you need to know. Your rights as you enter this trial. An attorney will be provided for you if you decide now if you want one."

"Free of charge?"

"You will be charged, yes. This is going to be a high profile case." He turned on the television. There was a newscast about it the case with the headline, "Opression in America". Niko was actually taken back at the outpour of some people standing outside the courthouse with signs saying "Enough is enough", "Give him citizenship", and "Welcome to America."

I was taken by surprise as well by the public's support even though they really had no idea what the whole story was. We wrapped up the meeting as soon as it started. Niko had some work to do tonight.

Karen noted that we needed to go shopping for food for the week before we went home. Niko suggested he and I be dropped off back at the condo so he could start his speech. She did agree that keeping him home would be beneficial because she was sure the public would pour around him causing unwanted attention.

Niko and I headed inside and he got right to business. He feverishly wrote down ideas on paper before he began writing in detail. I helped him a little by pointing out that he did come to America for a new beginning after being in the war. A dream that was slowly coming true. Once he got the main idea of his speech figured out, he began the tedious task. He chose specific words like 'pressured', 'forced', 'oppressed', and 'hope' for the perfect balance. He had atleast two and a half pages written out, and once he was satisfied, he stood up and read it back to me as if I was the jury. I of course was moved to tears. It was only seventeen short hours away when we would see the real impact.

It was about 4:30 when my brother and Karen came back from the store. Karen had multiple bags as well as my brother. I offered to get bags, but there were none left. Karen set her load on the table and advanced toward Niko. She carried a smaller bag in her hand. She tossed the bag into his lap and he looked at her with a quizzical look.

"I got you some things that will help you in court tomorrow."

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"Just look at it, idiot."

He opened the bag, and he looked back at her.

"Thank you. See? You're not really a bitch."

"I can take it all back. I still have the receipt."

I looked over to see what the heck Karen got him. She got him a day planner to document the days in court for his own records, a small American flag pin to put on the lapel of his tuxedo just for a positive appearance, and file folder so he can keep all papers and documents as well as any evidence in document form that needs to be shown to the judge.

"How's your speech going? You're just sitting there."

"I'm done."

"There's no way you finished in two hours. Let me see."

She looked through his papers. I saw she read it a few times. Probably checking for spelling errors and grammar. She squinted her eyes and concentrated hard on his words. She handed the pages back and she shook her head.

"How can a criminal be such an expert writer? There was nothing wrong with anything you wrote."

"Because it was all that happened to me condensed into two pages. Everything that has happened to me here in America."

"He wrote really small so he wouldn't have a whole book to read. It was meant to be a speech, not a ceremony." I chuckled.

"True enough. But all bitchiness aside, Niko. This is a well written speech."

Niko nodded his thanks and put his speech along with plenty of copies of documents, witness photos, contacts information; such as addresses, phone numbers, occupations, and nationalities. He kept the folder by the front door so it was easily remembered when it came time to leave.

Surprisingly, Karen cooked an early diner for the three of us. She had a celebration diner for Niko for being free from the government agency. She went all out for us too. She grabbed the steaks and shrimp and prepared it. The wine she selected was the perfect pair for the steaks as well as the shrimp. We ate well that night, and Karen suggested that Niko went to bed early to arrive early at the courthouse.

"Is there any other pointers or advice you can give me?"

"Only a few more. When you wake up, make sure you shave. The court doesn't like that 5 o'clock shadow appearance. Clean up nice too. Don't half ass this. I'll iron your tuxedo for tomorrow and I'll put it all on a hanger in your bathroom for you before you go to bed. Last but not least, no sex tonight. We need you focused."

"Abstinence throughout this procedure. Got it." He made the okay hand gesture. This of course ticked off Karen.

"I'm not joking around, Niko! They are judging you as soon as you enter that courtroom! Even before you open your mouth, hours before you read your speech you worked so hard on. If you fuck about, this will fail. The judge and the jurors, Hell even the audience will decide if you are worth their time, and if you come in smelling of sex, they'll toss your case!"

I raised my hand, trying to interject a question before the two of them.

"What now?" Karen breathed her annoyance.

"I should have asked this before, but didn't they have no evidence on Niko? How is there even a trial?"

"Niko still have murder charges on him. The court will decide tomorrow if they will drop the charges and give him his papers, or convict him and ship him off home."

I gasped at the thought of him going back to Serbia. I would follow him, but I have family here.

"Another thing, you'll have to stay behind."

"Why?!"

"You have no reason to be there anymore. You'll be a distraction most of all. You'll have to either stay home, or wait in the waiting room of the courthouse. I suppose you coming to the courthouse. You'll be able to hold Niko's phone if the jury doesn't need it. He may be required to bring it for evidence. His calls, his texts, everything he's done with his phone could be used."

"Great."

I blushed at him remembering our little phone sex scenario a long while ago.

"I'm assuming there are embarrassing photos?" She asked.

"Not embarrassing. Uh...revealing? Private? Sensitive photos?"

"Delete them right now."

"No way! There are some really cute ones of me and Sharon. I want to keep them!"

"Well, text them to her. Or e-mail them if you think they'll look at her messages to you."

Niko scrolled through his messages to me, and I covered my face as Karen saw only a little snippet of what we were sending each other. Including the small video of Niko going to town on his artificial vagina.

"Well, that's embarrassing." He said full of humiliation.

"It is not. I think it ia a beautiful thing that we share things like that!" I felt a little bolder to stick it in Karen's face.

She said nothing as she turned for her bedroom. I guess she was turning in for the night.

"You showed her." He threw his arm around me and drew me close.

"I'm sick of her picking on you. She's running you down almost any chance she gets."

"She's just an old hag." He whispered. "I don't listen to her anyway. You're what really matters to me."

"Aren't you older then her?"

"Yeah, but she's still an old hag." He chuckled.

I sigh against his chest. His cologne was making me melt inside. I wanted to memorize his scent because after tomorrow, our time together was going to be extremely limited.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Blatant Blackmail"

The alarm rang at 8 am on a Thursday morning unlike any other. Niko was the first awake, having found out he set his alarm at 6:30 in the morning. I woke up to the bathroom light gleaming through the bottom of the door. I heard Niko actually singing some Serbian songs as he prepared himself for his trial. It was absolutely adorable. I crept up to the door to hear what he was singing about. I really couldn't make out what he was singing over the buzzing of something he was using.

I tapped the door so he could let me in.

"Hold on. I'm almost ready." He said.

I sat on the bed while he finished up. A little later, he came out and stood in front of me. I spectated him while he held out his arms and spun around, showing off his new look. He looked really hot all cleaned up. I was actually caught off guard when I tried to recognize this man in front of me.

It's Niko, you idiot! My brain insulted itself.

"What do you think?"

I stared for another good minute, not because I was forming an opinion, but because I couldn't think at all. I simply raised my thumb up giving him my answer.

"That good, eh?"

I nod again. Why am I so amazed by him all of a sudden? It's just Niko all clean shaved and in a tuxedo that is really flattering.

"I'm going to make a pot of coffee. Do you want a cup too?"

"Yes please."

Karen was already up and dressed way before Niko. I guess she was going to give her testimony as well to help Niko out. It comes as a shock that she was willing to do this when she has treated him like shit ever since she rescued him from that meeting.

My brother was still asleep. He basically had nothing to do with the case, so he elected to stay home and do some cleaning. Someone had to make sure we all came home to a clean environment after a long day in court. He even volunteered to cook diner if it became too late.

Niko and Karen left seperately in her SUV to get to there early. I wanted to leave on my own so I could go back home and check on my brother to make sure he was behaving. I started the luxury car that Jed and Nick so kindly left us. It was certainly a step up from my daily driver. It handled so smoothly as I took the corners, and it glided over bumps in the road like it was nothing.

I arrived at the courthouse, and there were hundreds of supporters outside on the steps. They held various signs with each of their messages on them. One supporter pulled me aside with a news reporter. They wanted the latest word from me. I told them I didn't know anything about the case trying to keep away from the attention.

I confronted the secretary to help me locate the waiting room. She guided me along and stated facts about the courthouse and its rich history. Apparently this courthouse has seen many high profile cases and Niko's was going to be among one of them. She showed me inside and told me there was a vending machine inside if I wanted something to munch on. I was left inside the room alone. I was glad I brought my phone charger. This was going to be a long wait for sure. I opened up my movies and sat alone in the room. My mind constantly thought of Niko as the 9 o'clock hour drew near. I was silently praying this case would go the way he wanted it, and that he wouldn't have to bend in his bargain.

Before I knew it, noon came around, and my belly rumbled. Thankfully there was more things in the vending machine besides chips and candy. There was salads and sandwiches inside. I thought that was a good combo as I selected the item numbers. I was all caught up on my shows, so I looked to see what was on the news. The first channel I turn on and it is about a "Repressed Serbian man". I thought to myself that Niko wanted a low profile, but he's got the media's attention. Each news channel had something about Niko's story. What really made me laugh is they really didn't know his true story. I could imagine that most of the story was made up for the sake of ratings. One news channel reported that Niko was working with terrorists and it was in 'Americas best interest' that he get deported. Another channel reported that Niko 'was working for an underground vigilante elite', which is sort of true, but I know he wasn't given a choice not to join. I called my brother and told him to turn on the news.

"I'm already watching. These news reporters really have no clue, do they?"

"Totally not. They're turning Niko's case into a circus."

"Let them do their thing. Atleast we know his story."

"True, but everyone else will be talking bad about him when they see him in public."

"Who cares? They can't do anything to him. They can talk bad all they want. You and Niko will finally be together. Isn't that all that matters to you?"

"Oh my God, yes."

"Then there you go. Stop caring what everyone else thinks."

"It still sucks though."

"Where are you calling from? It's really quiet. Did they use you in the trial?"

"I'm in the waiting room. I hope when they ajurn for a recess or whatever they call it, Niko comes in here to tell me what's gone on so far. They didn't call me to testify yet. I don't think they'll need me."

"I see. I gotta let you go. I am making something for lunch and I smell it. I'll talk to you later."

"Don't call me just in case they do need me though. I'll call you to update you if I hear anything."

We said our goodbyes and I was alone again. Atleast having someone to talk to made the wait for Niko more bearable.

I opened up my game that Niko teases me for playing. If only he was here now with me. I could just see him rolling his eyes at my childlike nature. I played it for about an hour and I heard footsteps approaching the door. The highheels clopping along made me pause and look at the closed door, waiting for the woman to enter.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Karen asked.

"I am waiting here so when Niko comes out of court, I'll be there to support him."

She looked up at the television screen and laughed.

"Why the hell are you watching this? Don't you know that these reports are all fake?"

"Yeah. It's sort of amusing in a stupid way."

She watched a little more and laughed harder when the reporter and some interviewees said that he still believes that Niko was a terrorist.

"So, where is Niko? Is the court in their break?"

"He was looking for you actually. He needed to pack up his things."

"Does he know I am in here?"

"I'll go find him. He's probably in the bathroom to be honest. He was whispering to me that he had to pee for an hour."

I laughed at his comment even though I didn't hear him say it. She left the break room to track him down and I looked at the time. I was absolutely sure he was hungry so I searched for something for him to eat from the vending machine.

He came in the breakroom minutes later and he hugged me from behind.

"Someone is in a good mood. How's it going?"

"It looks good. But that's only an assumption. I think they liked my speech."

"Who wouldn't! You did good on it."

"Thank you."

The microwave beeped and I pulled out the sandwich I bought him for lunch. He and I sat down at the table and he ate. Poor thing was starved because he inhaled it.

"Where's Karen? I thought she'd be following you back here to talk."

"She told me that she would give us time alone." He said after he took a sip of water.

"She isn't talking crap about you to the judge, is she?"

"She can't. Everyone is out to lunch. She went alone to get something to eat. Why do you worry about her so much?"

"I still don't trust her, Niko. You may trust her, but I don't. I don't want her to hurt your case. Not if I have anything to say about it."

"You'll learn how to take her. She's rough around the edges, but on the inside, she means well. It's just the way the agency got to her head. Now, are we going to talk about her, or do we want to cuddle a bit?"

"How long is the break?"

"We have fourty five minutes left." He said as he looked at the clock on the wall.

"Where can we cuddle? There is no couch."

"We don't need a couch. Come here."

His tone was demanding, but loving. And that was enough to get me over on his lap.

"Do I even want to know what you were doing in here by yourself?" He asked when I pressed my form against him.

"I behaved! I know this isn't the place to fool around."

"What were you doing for five hours?"

"I watched my shows, I played my game.."

"I knew it." He laughed. "I knew you couldn't go without playing while you were here."

"Come on. You're picking on me. You'd like it too if you'd give it a chance."

"We will see after all this is done."

"What happened in court? My brother called and I told him I'd call him on anything new."

"There was a lot of talking."

I made a face at his secrecy.

"Tell me!"

"Alright, settle down. I was only teasing." He took a deep breath and I prepared for his long winded story. "I told you it seemed that the jury liked my speech. The judge didn't make any indication that he liked it or not. After my speech, they called Brucie up to the stand. He's the steroid junkie that I mentioned before. He was asked about my past and if I was involved in illegal activities. He told the court that I was, and that I have been doing favors for those who needed their problems taken care of."

My eyes got wider thinking that this Brucie guy just hurt his odds.

"You have to remember, everyone is under oath and if there was a lie, it would be a mistrial. I would have to start all over once they got the facts."

"Weren't you going to lie to the court before? I don't get it."

"The government agency was going to ensure that the lie was a fact. It wasn't really needed since McReary was killed. We had to scrap that information and find another story that the courts would believe."

"So you're still lying." I asked as I looked dead into his eyes.

"I don't need you to side against me now. Not while this is going on. Do you support me, or not?"

"I do, Niko. I do."

"Then please, don't make me worry about you going against me. We've gone so far together. I need you. I said I was more than ready to change, and I want to change with you by my side."

"Then how is this Brucie guy helping you? He is saying you killed people?"

"Yes. But in the testimonials, I killed bad people. This is fact. These people were murderers, and really didn't deserve any special treatment if they were captured by the police. There is a thing called vigilantism where if someone thinks the police aren't doing enough to find the criminal, you can take it on your own hands."

"But you have no legal authority."

"The police here are just as bad as the crooks. I saw a criminal pay an officer off to ignore his crimes. I have photo proof, and that is when I took it in my own hands. That's the guy I killed just before I started dating you. The man was at large for armed robbery and killed a woman and child when he was making his get away. When he was confronted by police, he paid the officer some of his stolen money and the police drove off. I killed the man a day later. There was nothing right about what I did, but atleast the family could sleep better that I laid the man down."

"I understand now."

"I'm glad you do. But I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't kill anymore. I made an exception that day. The woman was young and her child looked to be no more than four or five. I couldn't go on knowing that I witnessed something like that and not doing anything about it. Had I turned the guy in, the police would deny the man did anything wrong. It's horrible."

"Listen to you, Mr. Justice Warrior." I teared up a little knowing he was so concerned for the safety of others.

"I'm sure you would have done the very same thing had you been in my place. There is a fire inside you that I can see. You'd take the law into your own hands."

Karen knocked on the door and called Niko to follow her back inside the courtroom. I huffed because I still had fifteen minutes left with him.

"No. Don't be like that. I gotta go." He kissed me briefly on my forehead and scooted me off his lap. "We have all the time in the world after this is all over." He said as he headed to the door. He gave me a wink just before he left, and I couldn't find anything to say back to him.

I turned off the television because the news at this point was poking a dead horse. It was on and on about Niko's case. I wanted silence. I really wished I told Niko I was going back home to check on my brother. That way he didn't think I abandoned him when the court was dismissed for the day. It had to be soon that they were going to start wrapping up.

I found the assistant who helped me before and I left her the message to let Niko know I was going home to stay home since he had to walk past her to leave. I had to battle through the sea of supporters to get to my car. This time, they weren't so organized on the steps like this morning. The summer day was long and the heat only added to the fury. A crowd of people pulled me aside rather violently, asking me if I knew what was going on. I told them I was only a janitor, and I left them rather easily.

I called my brother from the road to let him know I was headed home, and I had news of Niko's day. He sounded as excited as I was. He only wanted Niko's best interest which was nice thing to know. I parked the car in the same place where it was left in the morning and my brother ran up to me. A little too over eager to hear the news. I told him to get inside where it was cooler and I would tell him.

I explained everything Niko told me and I broke it down a little more for him to understand. It's true he was computer smart, but the judicial system wasn't one of his strong suits. Or mine for that matter.

"So, it sounds like it was a pretty good day for him. If he was able to keep the trial going for a day, and not have the jurors toss it within the hour, it could be successful."

"I remember what that man told us. We shouldn't get too cocky. Tomorrow is another day with new testimonials and counter arguements."

"But I remain positive."

I held my words of pessimism and let him remain positive. I wanted to be positive too, but it would be that much more of a let down if Niko lost the case. I guess I remained neutral in the matter, that way I could react better.

We found our old deck of cards and we played a bunch of games. The hours flew by in a seeming flash because I received a phone call from Niko at 7:30. He sounded like he was in a panic by the way he was racing his words, and I told him to come home right away. It didn't sound good at all.

His arrival at home was in record time. I was sure he was speeding, but it was imperative that he got home to tell me the news he was given.

"What happened, Niko?" I asked when he ran up to my brother and I at the table. We were right in the middle of a game that absolutely needed to be put on hold.

"The trial hit a snag. One of the witnesses fumbled the truth. She was caught in a lie. There is going to be a delay in the process." His shoulders slumped.

"Fuck! Was it your witness?"

"No. It was a testimony against me."

"Did they tell you when the next court date is?"

"They'd call me the next court date. It seems like I need to wait longer for my residency."

"I guess we have to wait."

"I can't do anything at all. If I get the call, I need to be prepared for round two."

"You also have to memorize your parts. You did well this first half." Karen congratulated.

"Do my ears decieve me?" He held his hand up to his ear. "Did Karen the hard ass compliment me?"

"Shut the fuck up. I've complimented you before."

Niko laughed hard at her words of attack and dismissed the whole conversation. We passed the time between the three of us in playing a couple of games of poker. Niko was really the poker expert. Apparently, it was one of his hobbies to engage in card games with his cousin. Of course, Roman, being the heavy gambler that he is, wanted to throw in money each time they played. Niko refused to feed his cousins addicting lifestyle, and simply played with no monetary gain. It was a good thing too. Roman would end up owing Niko his first born child the way Niko was playing. He had luck, and won almost every hand. His philosophy was "You got to know when to toss, and when to keep." If I didn't know any better, he knew how to count cards. His chuckle of mild offense came when I tried calling him out on it. He swore he didn't count the cards, nor did he even know how to. Then again, I did guess he wasn't only because there was no money to win.

His phone rang later on around 10 pm. It was a number he wasn't familiar with, but he answered anyway.

"Hello?...Kiki?... How did you get my new number?..."

I was paying attention now. This woman was one of his ex girlfriends. I tried to assure myself that she was calling because of court topics, but Karen told Niko to not contact any of his witnesses. She was in the law business and she should know better than to contact Niko.

"Kiki... I can't... We're not allowed to...not even for old times sake..."

I could tell the annoyance in his voice was escalating. I still listened into his conversation and I knew he really wanted to hang up.

"I know you'll find another guy who is better than me...I know I treated you well, but you have to let go of me. I moved on...Kiki, listen...I gotta go."

Her anger was heard over the speaker as he held it away from his ear. Her objections were heard by my brother as he looked at Niko wide eyed.

"We have nothing between us anymore, Kiki... That's over...You and I went our seperate ways."

I took the phone from his hand and began to yell at the woman making an obvious attempt to get back with him.

"Listen here, he doesn't want to get back with you...I am his girlfriend now, and you and him have nothing together. Back off of him." I sternly said. Niko grabbed my attention by waving his hands around. I looked at him while I was being cussed out by Kiki.

"Don't say anything stupid." He mouthed.

"What do you mean?"

Kiki stopped what she was saying to shout at me. I wasn't even listening to her hollow threats. I simply hung up on her so I can listen to Niko.

"She's on my side in this trial. If you said something stupid, she'd turn against me in a heartbeat."

"What kind of women did you date before me?"

"You don't want to know. These women I dated were only for fun. I didn't expect Kiki to get that close to me. I was just being friendly."

"Who else have you dated?"

"Now really isn't the best time to talk about it."

His phone rang again in my hand. It was the same number on the screen. Niko held his hand out, nonberbally demanding I give his phone back. I gave it back to him and watched as he took the call. He was walking on thin ice between watching not to piss off Kiki, or myself.

"Alright, Kiki...chill out. She's my girlfriend. You were the same way when you thought I was fucking other girls when I wasn't when I was dating you... Yes you were! You were jealous that I had other friends who were women...Can we just go hang out some other time?...This isn't the best time to do it if you didn't realize."

He paused for a good three minutes while Kiki laid it out on him. He shook his head in disbelief that she would use this trial as bribery to go out with him.

After a while of not saying anything, he hung up on her. He set his phone down on the table and put his hands on his hips.

"What is she saying?"

"She wants me to take her out on a date. She's using the trial to get what she wants. She will turn against me if I don't take her out. I'm fucked either way."

"Niko, I-"

He looked at me and waited for me to continue. I hoped this date was a simple act of friendship, but I also knew this Kiki wanted more. He obviously treated his girlfriends a little too well. Karen still has feelings, and now Kiki.

"If this chick is going to lie in court, won't that give you the upper hand? That will show another mistrial."

"Kiki works in the court system, and she has a lot of money. She'd pay off a fer people to see me lose this."

"It was risky taking her on for your defense."

"It would be more risky if I didn't have her."

I thought it through for a moment and eventually I came to a decision. In order to get what we want, we'd give her what she wants.

"If this Kiki girl wants to go hang out with you, go ahead. She seems to be very important to do as she wishes and not piss her off right now. Let's hope she remembers this when it comes time to go back to court."

"You want me to date Kiki even though I am with you?" He explained slowly and seemingly repeated back to himself to ensure he heard me correctly.

"Yes. If you don't, she will hurt your case. Just don't let her sleep with you."

"There's no guarantee. She might blackmail me for that, too."

He called her back again and she was furious when she picked up. She was actually threatening him to take the stand next time and turn on him. He quickly tried to change her mind and suggested that they go out on a date tomorrow. Her counter offer came and he was to take her out tonight. I could see the energy deplete from his body. He was overtired from the trial, and now having to deal with her. He reluctantly agreed to take her out for a drink at the nearby bar. This was a good idea, so that way I could see them enter and exit. If she put his hands on him anywhere, I would knock her out.

"Alright, then. I guess I'll see you guys later. I'm going out on a date with a crazy bitch."

I laughed a little. I just wanted him to relax after the events that transpired today.

I watched him leave in the luxury car. I guessed that it wasn't necessary that he took the SUV. I tried to stay up as long as I could once I saw the two enter the bar. It was well past 1 am, and I felt my eyelids struggle to stay open. One deep sigh, and that allowed them to shut and I fell asleep on the couch.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Intermission"

I don't know what time it was as my eyes fluttered open to the new day. I found Niko asleep in my arms, wearing the same clothes he had on all day yesterday. He smelled of alcohol and smoke. It was offending my sense of smell holding him so close to me. I must have wrapped my arms around him in my sleep and now he has me pinned down on the couch.

My brother opened the door to their bedroom and looked over at us. His look made me recall what happened last night. I grabbed Niko's shoulders and tried to shake him awake, despite me knowing he had night terrors. Atleast if he did try to attack me, I had my brother to help me this time.

"Niko! Niko, wake up!" I shook him harder.

"He's out cold."

"Did you see what time he came home?"

"Nope. I went to sleep before you."

"I got home at 5." Niko said with his eyes closed. "I got no sleep at all.

"I thought you were asleep. How much did you drink that you didn't respond to me?"

"I didn't drink. I had water. I had to stay sober to take Kiki home and to make damn sure she didn't get me in bed."

"Smart thinking. What did you two talk about?"

"She mostly asked me to get back with her. I didn't give her a yes or no answer. I'll tell her no once this trial is over."

"Do you want to go to sleep in bed? I can help you get ready."

His eyes opened slowly. They looked bloodshot and it seemed it was a difficult task just to keep them open. I figured he'd need a little help getting cleaned up again so he can rest all day from being awake almost all day.

"No. I'll manage. I think if you help me, there will not be any helping at all." He smiled at me even though he was lackluster.

I guided him to the bathroom. If he refused help, it was the least I could do for him. I started the shower for him as he took off his cigarette scented tuxedo. I took it from him to have it all laundered and ironed for the next trial. He gave me another smile and stepped inside. I closed the door and asked Karen where the laundromat was.

"We have a laundry room downstairs. We don't need to go to the laundromat. Is that Niko's suit? It smells like crap."

"Well, he had it on all day, and it was at a bar, so cigarette smoke got all over it."

I was shown the basement of the condo by Karen. It came as a suprise to me how large the condo was. We really didn't go into an extensive tour through it. I tossed his clothes in the washer and made sure it was in the right treatment according to the special washing suggestions of the tuxedo. I didn't want his only available tuxedo to shrink. I supposed if that did happen, we could contact Roman to get him another outfit. Then the idea hit me. I should call Roman to see if he could in fact do that. Going to multiple court dates wearing the same tuxedo wouldn't give the people the right impression about him. He really did take a pride in his appearance. Even though when I met him, he claimed that that style rubbed off on him.

I kept it quiet as he crawled into bed. I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek to wish him a good rest. He turned my simple kiss into a rather heated one when he turned his head to meet my lips. His sneak kiss took my breath away as I felt a small gasp escape. His lips formed a smile as his lips worked against mine in a sensual kiss.

We broke apart to stare at each other. I looked at him with a burning lust and he looked at me with a fading sleep. He loved to tease, but how dare he leave me like this?

I scolded him as he laid his head down on his pillow. He smiled one last time and closed his eyes. It was the same playful smirk he continued to have as I watched him sleep from the arm chair.

Karen knocked softly and entered the room. She found me nodding off in the chair hours later after Niko laid down.

"Sharon, wake up. It's noon. We're ordering out. Do you want anything to eat?"

Niko let out a deep snore and he turned over in his sleep. I looked at Karen threateningly as she spoke a little too loudly.

"Don't wake him. You're speaking too loud."

"He can't hear me." She tested. "What do you want to eat?"

"I don't care." I crossed my arms like a toddler. I was sure she woke him up.

"Fine. We're ordering from a Thai place. I'm going to get you whatever."

"Fuck this bitch." I thought as she turned to leave.

"Come here, Sharon." Niko said from the bed.

"I knew she woke you up." I came to the edge of the bed and looked down at his resting form.

"I wasn't even asleep. I can't sleep."

His speech had a dry tone to it. He rolled over to face me and sealed his eyes up tight as the fishline sunlight found his eyes.

"Never fails to blind you, eh?" I tittered as he groaned with disappointment.

"All I want is to fall asleep for an hour."

"You've been awake this entire time? Why didn't you say something? I could have helped you."

"I honestly didn't know you were still in the room until you said something to Karen." He started to arouse more and sat up in bed. His sleep wear somehow came off his body. It's strange, I never heard him shuffle to take anything off.

"Do you normally sleep naked?" I blushed a little. I still don't really know what his sleep habits are.

"Sometimes. I'm not totally naked. I have boxers on." He lifted his blankets to show me.

"I guess Karen's ordering from some Thai place. Are you hungry at all?"

"Starved. Did she order yet?"

"I don't think so."

I darted out of the room to see if it was too late to add his order. She had already called and placed the order minutes before I asked. It was one of those easy order menus where you could order by number so it only took a few seconds. I cursed inwardly at her carelessness for Niko. I hoped that whatever she ordered, Niko liked because I was sharing mine with him.

Our food came roughly fourty five minutes later along with some 2 liters of soda. I looked at what Karen ordered me, and in all honesty, it looked like someone fished out something from a lake and threw it in a container and called it edible. I thought for a second that it still was moving.

"Is this some joke?" I asked with a hint of rejection.

"What? You didn't say what you wanted, nor did you care. So, I ordered a random number and this is what you got."

"There's no way I am eating this!"

"Then starve. I asked you what you wanted and you acted like a child. Therefore, you got whatever I ordered. You should have looked at the menu."

I squished my face in anger as my brother ate something that looked really good. He chewed slowly, seemingly in thought.

"There's enough here to share with you." He offered rather cheerfully.

"But I was going to share what I ordered with Niko. He's not going to eat this. And there isn't enough there to share for three people."

Niko emerged from the bedroom following his nose to the kitchen. He looked like a zombie as he approached with the sleep atire back on and in his bare feet.

"What the fuck is that?" He poked whatever was in the container with the plastic fork. "Looks like something from a sewer."

"That's basically what I compared it to. Karen thought it was funny to order us swamp water." I sounded like a taddletaler.

"Well, since Karen is still being a bitch, how about I make us something?" He offered.

"There's next to nothing here besides a half a loaf of bread, a couple of eggs, less than a gallon of milk, and some stale potato chips."

"That's perfect." He said and turned the stove top on.

I wondered what he had planned as he cracked the rest of the eggs on a cereal bowl. He used the rest of the milk, pouring it in another bowl. I got the idea that he was making french toast. I didn't mind it at all. Breakfast for lunch? I was actually surprised that he whipped up something so quickly.

I waited at the table while he prepared the brunch. There was no syrup, but that was okay. He hummed a tone while he monitored the french toast. I could get used to this. He was preparing food for me, being the good guy he was.

I played on my phone when I started smelling the food. I lost track of time when he placed a plate of french toast.

"You don't mind we share a plate, do you?"

"Absolute not. We share almost everything else. Why not a plate?" I started to cut off a piece when he sat down. They were really fluffy and they tasted good. He was a really good cook, and that made me think he was so much more worth it as I dealt with all that's gone on.

"How are they?"

I had a mouth full of food and simply nodded my approval and gave a thumbs up. He smiled and took another bite.

"Needs syrup, but they're not bad."

My brother was peeping over at us as we ate. I could tell he wanted what we had. A home cooked meal was undoubtedly better than delivery.

He stood up, taking our plate to the sink when we finished and headed back to the bedroom. That really hit the spot. I could only imagine his french toast all dressed up with the proper additives like syrup, powdered sugar, whip cream, and strawberries on top. I mentally drooled as it came to mind.

I decided to get myself cleaned up for the day. Niko was still in the shower. I itched to be with him, but I supposed he'd want his peace and quiet. I set out some clothes aside for myself and I turned on the television. It had cable which it was nice of the agency to hook us up. The news channel reported 'foul play in the case of Serbian case.' I paid attention to the report as they had questions for one member of the jury.

She was asked if she knew the plaintiff and she said she dated him off and on for a while. Her next question was if she worked with him, and she denied any dealings with him. When she was asked what sort of work he did, and she said she didn't know what he did. She denied knowing he killed people when she was well aware what he did. She was fearful in admitting being associated with the plaintiff because she thought she'd go to prison.

I couldn't believe this woman, making it seem like the trial was all about her. I assumed each woman Niko dated, he told them what his source of income was. He told me eventually that he was into the criminal scene and I was to debate dating him or not.

Niko came out of the bathroom looking all freshened up and much more alert after having food in his belly. He made a face at my choice of television.

"Why are you watching this for?"

I fumbled the remote. I tried to change the channel so he didn't have to think about court.

"Uh, I just turned it on. I didn't know this was on."

He sat down on the bed and played with my hair. My head magnetically attached to his chest and cooed into his warmth and scent. He chuckled and I felt his chest shake.

"Do we have any plans today?" I asked in a monotonous tone. He was so comfortable.

"There is nothing planned for today. We can't do anything too busy."

"So, it's like we're on house arrest?"

"No. We can go out to eat or go shopping or something." He traveled.

"Can we go shopping?!" I shot up and looked him in the eye.

"I guess we can. Do you love shopping or something?"

"I do! I like shopping for clothes. Shopping for anything!"

He laughed hard at my spontaneous excitement. He urged me in the bathroom to get cleaned up. Not having Niko in with me made me hurry getting washed up. Once I was ready, Niko had urged me out of the condominium. The car was already started, and it was nice and cool from the air conditioning.

He sat down in the driver's seat, but before he drove off, he asked me where I wanted to go. There were dozens of places I wanted to go with him, but I had a change of mind.

"Why don't we just go to the park? Let's walk around for a while." I looked at him.

He shrugged his shoulders in a 'your wish is my command' gesture. I sat back in the seat while he took me to a place that he seemed to have had in mind. I looked out my window as he drove, looking at the people busy in their own little world. It seemed he was intentionally driving slow just so I can enjoy the car ride. He decided against playing any music. It was just me and him. On a car ride. Driving to a spot that he told me he liked to go for solitude.

He parked in the only available spot. This park seemed to be quite popular. I wondered how he can seek solitude from a busy park like this.

"You'll see in a few minutes why this is my favorite place to be." He said after I asked him what's so peaceful about this place.

He took my hand and lead the way. He knew what paths to take and what turns he needed to make. He and I were deep into the park. So deep, that the screaming children and traffic noise faded away and there was nothing but the sounds of birds and the breeze.

"Now I see why this is your favorite place." I said as I looked up at the leaves in the trees. The heat and humidity yeilded to the mammoth trees and it was pleasant.

He gestured to me and told me to sit with him in the grass. It was at that moment when I sat down next to him he pulled out a small case. He opened the case and a ring glittered in the sunlight. I felt my heartbeat in my ears as my head swam in a sea of nervousness.

"You never did give me an answer." He simply said.

I couldn't even think, let alone answer him. What was an acceptable answer to him? What was an acceptable answer to me?

"Try it on. See if it takes your fancy."

"When did you find the time to get this?"

"I called around a few places, told them what I was looking for, and they crafted this ring. It's amazing what you can do with these smart phones. See how it looks on your finger."

"Do I have to give you an answer now?" I asked as he took my hand and slid the ring on. It fitted perfectly and it was simple, yet beautiful.

"I'd like one, yes. Otherwise, I'll feel like an idiot proposing to you without an answer. Then you'll know I have this."

"I'll know you have it regardless of the answer."

"You're stalling." He accused.

"Ask me again."

He smiled wily and scooted closer to me. "Will you marry me?"

"Y-N-Ye..."

How the Hell could I get out of this without hurting him or myself.

"Look at that bird!" I pointed out a Cardinal on a nearby tree. "They say Cardinals visit you when a deceased loved one is nearby." I thoroughly believed that, and I got goosebumps when Niko proposed. It meant my grandmother wanted to see what was going on.

"Who would be visiting you?"

"My grandmother. She died in September of last year. I believe she is here right now watching you propose to me."

"Let's not have her wait any longer. What is your answer?""

I paused longer than I thought. I looked him dead in the eyes and formed my answer.

"Niko, you know I love you more than life itself. I can't marry you right now. It's not a good time."

He looked down and I swear he fought back a tidal wave of hurt. I tried to lift his head to look at me. His neck muscles locked his head in place.

"Niko, look at me." I demanded.

His head snapped upwards in a small defiance.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, but if I am not ready, you shouldn't force me to do this." I pointed out.

"Fair enough." He said defeated. "Just promise me one thing? Be there for me after all this?"

"What are you saying, Niko? Do you have doubts about this trial?"

"I am expecting this to go either way."

I looked away from him to focus on the nearby stream. It was soothing my mind. He single-handedly threw this day in a small turmoil. I really wanted to marry him, but I knew he wasn't ready. There was some unknown unspoken reason that he decided that he'd ask for my hand. I went out on a limb and formulated a theory.

"Is it Kiki?"

"What?" His eyebrows furrowed inward.

"Is it Kiki that made you propose?"

"God no! I'm proposing because I love you and I want you to be my wife! This has nothing to do with her. Why did you think that?"

"I just thought that if you were engaged to me, you'd have a better reason to put off Kiki."

"I'd never use you as an excuse." He said defensively.

Perhaps my brother was right. I overthink things.

"You know what? Let's just go home."

"We only just got here! Let's stay a while. Please?"

Niko reluctantly agreed and laid back on the grass. Sighing, he put the ring back in his pocket. I never knew he was serious about marrying me. That day he asked me, he said for me to forget it. It was in the spur of the moment. I shrugged what just happened away and tried to rest with him. Niko, on the other hand, looked restless as his head kept rising off the ground. Eyes darting left and right.

"Something bothering you?"

"We're not alone. Shh." He stood up and pulled me up with him. "Be quiet and follow me." He spoke barely loud enough for me to hear.

We walked with a kicked up pace as he and I traveled the twisting paths inside the park. I hoped he knew the way back since I had no clue. I stepped on a twig, and Niko stood upright and drew a gun on me so fast I had no time to react.

"What the fuck, Niko!?"

He lowered the gun aimed at my chest. "Sorry. I thought you were someone trying to attack us."

"Who would attack us?"

"Well, not us...me." He put the gun back in his holster that was concealed so well, I had no idea it was on his body when I laid on him.

"Why you?"

"Do you not pay attention when I talk to you?"

"You asshole! Be nice to me. You've been hiding things from me, haven't you? Who else have you killed?"

"No one! It's the people I've dealt with in my past that have me a little on edge."

"So, why did you take me out?"

"Because you wanted to! And so did I for that matter. I was sick of staying indoors. And I could tell you were itching for some free time with me. I made sure if we we're attacked that I was prepared. I rarely leave this gun at home."

"It would have been nice of you to tell me you were bringing that."

Niko stopped abruptly. I did walk into him and he turned around.

"I'm sorry, alright? I don't tell you things like this because I don't want you to be frightened."

He walked on without me and I ran to catch up with him. His longer legs made his strides almost double mine.

"Wait, Niko. Stop."

When he didn't stop, I grabbed his arm and yanked him around.

"Will you listen to me? Why are you being like this? Just because you have a feeling we're being watched, doesn't mean you should act like a dick!"

"I'm trying to get out of this area so we can go home. Will you hurry up?" He continued on while I struggled behind. I felt the humidity weighing me down, but it didn't seem to bother him. He turned around when he no longer heard my footsteps. He was atleast twenty feet ahead.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

I nodded and he walked back my way. He carried me on his back and pressed on. Luckily, we got to the car with no sign of threat.

We got back, and Karen was on the phone again. A common sight to see that thing attached to her ear. Niko mouthed who she was on the phone with. She mouthed back saying it was his girlfriend. I got annoyed at her answer knowing she was referring to Kiki and was trying to get a reaction out of me. It almost worked. I advanced to her, but I had no intention of saying anything. Had Niko known, he wouldn't have grabbed my arm to stop me. He looked a little calmer once we got home.

He and I sat at the table in the kitchen and he shuffled the deck of cards to keep his hands busy. I watched him as he fidgeted with it. My mind was talking with itself. Niko's eyes met mine as I could tell he knew I was watching him.

"Your paranoia is getting the best of you." I accused.

"I'm not paranoid. I'm nervous. God knows what Kiki is talking about with her."

Niko pulled out his phone and his thumbs were flying acrossed the screen. I streched my neck out to see his screen.

"Cousin. It is your cousin. Do you feel like going shopping again for us?"

His phone rang within the next minute.

"Roman, what's up?...Uh huh...She did what!...I wish I saw that...Well, you know Uncle Niko...Hey, did you get my message?...Yeah, can you come get our list?...Okay...Yeah, it's a condominium... The address is in the text message... I'll see you soon."

I wanted to know who the 'she' he was talking about, but right now, I just needed to take it easy.

Roman stopped over about two hours later with baby Mila. Niko stood immediately and had a grin on his face that warmed my heart. He scooped her up and blabbled. Mila cooed and giggled at silly Uncle Niko.

"There she is! There's that smile I missed!"

This was thereputic for him. Seeing his little neice was just what he needed. This in return made me smile.

"What does my cousin need?"

Niko answered by handing Roman a shopping list that had two columns full of food, hygiene supplies, and miscellaneous items.

"Can I leave Mila with you? She misses her uncle."

"I don't mind babysitting. I miss Mila like you wouldn't believe."

"I'll have these to you when I get back." Roman said as he reached for the doornob.

Niko took a couple of quick paces to his cousin before he left. He whispered to Roman and handed him another piece of paper. Roman nodded. Then he was off to do our shopping yet again.

I locked eyes with Niko as he came to me and sat on the couch. Mila was a cute pudgy baby. She shied away from me when I waved at her. Niko smiled telling her that was no way to make a friend.

"How old is Mila?"

Her name made her switch on Niko's shoulder to look at me.

"She's two years. She's shy around others beside Roman, Mallorie, and myself." He allowed Mila to grab onto his finger and giggled.

"Proud uncle Niko." I said.

He smiled back at me. It's amazing. A little baby could have that much influence on Niko's mood. I could tell Mila and him were close. He probably treated her like his daughter. Spoiling her in endless ways.

"Ni." Mila called.

"What is it, princess?"

She hopped off his lap and pulled him around by his index finger to the kitchen. She pointed to the stale chip bag at the top of the refrigerator.

"You don't want those, darling." He laughed.

She lead him around seemingly pointless to us adults, but to her, Niko had to be shown the things she saw.

"Yes. Those are my keys." She blabbled her question to him. He really understood what she was trying to ask. She seemed satisfied with his answer and again, showed him around.

From the bedroom, I heard him tell Mila that was his shoes. And his shirt. And my shoes. It was adorable how much time he was spending with her. And he hasn't even said how tired he was.

"Can I introduce you two?" Niko asked as I played on my phone.

"I know who Mila is."

"Yes. But she's a little less shy now."

"You know this? How? She barely knows how to talk?"

"Call it.. Uncle Niko's intuition."

Okay. That's adorable.

He lowered himself to my ear. "But you have to pretend you don't know her yet, okay?"

I nod.

He cleared his throat when he stood up as to call a ceremony. He really was pretending she was a princess. How amazing would he be if he had his own daughter?

"I'd like to formally introduce you to Mila, the princess of Bellicland. Mila, this is my girlfriend, Sharon. She is everything to me." His last sentence seemed to speak to me.

"Honored to meet you, little Miss. I must say, you have a very special bodyguard. He is loyal, friendly, and extremely protective of those he holds dear. " I played along, but I also spoke to him as well. "In fact, I wouldn't trade him for anything else in the world." My playfulness slid away.

He sat on the couch with me again, holding Mila in his lap. I could tell his playfulness faded away.

"And I wouldn't trade you for anything either." His eyes delved deeply into mine. I could feel him stripping away at my skin to get to the very core of my soul. It was working.

I looked at little Mila. She was distracted by something in Niko's pocket. Clawing at the little box that still contained the ring, he redirected her away from his pocket. He set her down gently on the floor and she stood between his legs.

"Do I have the princess's permission to kiss her bodyguard?" I knew she had no interest anymore in the royalty game because she was still after that box. She mumbled in her baby speak and I assumed it was a permission granted.

I scooted over to him. He turned his head just as I did so, and his lips covered mine. They were still so warm and soft as we broke apart and met again. A wet popping noise was all it took for Mila to screach at Niko for not paying attention to her. I laughed against his lips at her impatience.

"She really wants you to herself."

He smiled back. I felt his lips tug against mine.

"Yeah, she's an attention whore." He whispered.

I was shocked he'd use that term while mentioning his neice, but I figured it was a joke.

"So, how old is Roman?" I ask to get a little more about his family history. Also to pass the time.

"He's a year younger than I am."

"I don't get it. Why did those two wait so long to have a child?"

"It's a sad story. It hits close to home for me too. You'll hear why, just not from me."

"How come?"

"I'd rather them tell you."

"Does it have anything to do with you?"

"No." He sighed deep in thought. "I guess it is better if I told you. I don't want anymore salt in their wounds."

I sat back in the couch as he looked at the floor. Figuring out where to begin and how to bring up the topic that still seemed sensitive to him.

"Roman and Mallorie had one child eight years ago. It was a baby girl. They were going to name the baby after my girlfriend who died at the wedding. Baby Kate. I never thought a name was able to take my heart, but it did. I was so proud of my cousin. He was finally able to have a child and show some maturity. I remember the phone call. He was so ecstatic. He told me to rush to the hospital to see Mallorie. It was an emergency. Mallorie was ready to give birth, but it was a premature delivery. The baby was put on an incubator when she delivered it. The baby died three weeks later not being able to sustain itself without life support. Roman and Mallorie had to make that decision to end the poor thing's suffering. He rarely talks about the birth, but I can tell he thinks about their first all the time. Just like I do."

"They waited eight years to have another baby?"

"Having been through all that, going to the hospital, delivering a failing baby, and then making the choice to take it off life support really crippled them. We never rushed them to have another. It was going to be on their time that they would have another. Even if it took eight years."

"I understand. It probably was a terrible emotion to go through. My aunt had a stillborn. He would have been twenty two months ago. My aunt had severe depression and she thought she was cursed to never have another baby. They already had two boys, but she really wanted a girl. I remember being in the hospital after they took the baby. I tried to stay strong for her, but in the end, I lost it. I cried with her. I never hope I have to deal with that. Ever."

He smiled fondly at me. Placing his hand on my stomach, he seemed to give me his protection. However, he couldn't protect me from something he couldn't prevent.

"I will be there if it does happen. And I will be there if it doesn't. You'll have me so much, you'll get sick of me." He said, making light of the situation.

"I'll never get sick of you. I'll get mad at you from time to time, but never sick of you."

He kissed me with a hunger that matched mine. The quenching of the hunger we were looking for could not be achieved. He pulled his lips away from me slowly, letting the effect of his kiss linger on my lips. I looked at him through half closed eyelids. I wanted him so badly, it acutally hurt.

"We should hold off on that." Brushing his lips against mine in an attempt to stop what I was thinking. It felt so good to have him delicately grazing my lips. It slowly brought my lust to a full flame having him in close proximity of me.

"Niko," I started.

"We can't. Not now."

"Why not? I am sure my brother and Karen are doing what we need to do." I tried to convince him.

"We have a baby with us." He reminded me.

I grumbled at his logic. Little Mila eventually lost interest in what Niko had in his pocket and went for his other one. She knew there was something else more important to her in it. Niko reached in and pulled out his phone. He found her favorite game and her happy fingers tapped away on the screen.

"That will keep her busy for a while."

"Tired of her pulling you everywhere? Typical woman."

He supressed a laughter, not sure if he should. I looked at him in a 'you know me better' look and he let his laugh out.

Mila was the center of attention again until Roman came back around 9. He had bags hanging from both his arms as he noisily entered. Niko stood up to help while I was to keep an eye on the baby. She cried when she saw both Niko and Roman leave. I comforted her by telling her they'd be back. I pounded on the other bedroom door with Mila in my arms. I ordered the two of those lovebirds to get out and help with groceries, but the response I got was to go to Hell by Karen.

It was too late anyway. They had brought all the bags inside.

"Can you put Mila down for a second?" Niko asked with something behind his back.

I did as commanded. He looked to the floor for a few seconds and back at me.

"I wanted to really apologize to you. I was such an asshole to you today. Please forgive me." He surprised me with a mixture of red, yellow, and purple flowers.

"You didn't have to get me that." Even though I knew Roman paid for everything.

"I wanted to. It was wrong of me to be the way I was to you."

"I did forgive you earlier."

"I just wanted to hear you say it. From now on, I will never lose my temper around you."

"Just around me?" I scoff.

"Yeah. Only around you." He chuckled.

I drew his face into mine with my free hand and gave him a quick kiss. The sound of our lips popping against each other made Roman groan in childish noises.

"Be quiet, Roman." Niko warned.

"Is that the thanks I get for going shopping for you hogs? You go through groceries so fast." He protested.

"Alright then. Hvala, Roman. Dobar si rođak."

Roman crossed his arms. He must have thought it was about time we showed more thankfulness towards him. We did thank him multiple times and we swore up and down that we'd owe him the moon, but Roman seemed like it was our thanks was all that was needed.

"It's about time. Ako nisam znala bolje, svi ste iskoristili mene i moju ljubaznost." He chuckled and picked up Mila.

"Nemojte ovo praviti o sebi, Roman." Niko said.

He waved goodbye and so did Mila. She did cry a little when it was time to leave. Poor little thing really loves her Unkle Ni.

After Roman's departure, we put away all the items he got for us. Karen and my brother were still in their room, and I was not in the least bit curious as to what they were doing in there. Niko and I whipped something light to eat for diner and we sat on the couch to watch whatever was on television. It was mostly about Niko's case on the news channels. I felt him fidget next to me. I assumed it was because he was still worried about his case. Whatever the outcome, I would be by his side.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Terror Attack"

I heard Karen first awaken in the morning. She was doing something in the living room. I lay awake just having waken up myself. I lay on top of Niko's chest as he slept. He'd managed to fall into a deep sleep from babysitting Mila. She wore him out. He was mumbling something I couldn't understand in his sleep. He was speaking Serbian for sure, but the most I understood was the words 'taken', 'please', and he repeated 'I beg you' over and over. I hoped he wasn't having a nightmare. I wanted him to sleep, but not like the way he was.

A knock on the door made me twist my head towards the sound. Whoever it was, I wanted them to get lost.

"Niko? Wake up you lazy bastard." It was Karen's voice. No doubt. Only she would insult him like that.

I did the only thing I could. Against Karen, I only argured with her. Rarely did we act like civilized people.

"Leave him alone, Karen!" I shouted and looked down at him. He was still asleep. I smiled at him because it seemed that an earthquake wouldn't wake him.

"This is important. Wake him up!" She impatiently called.

I have had enough. I got up from the bed. She was really going to get it this time. I opened the door to see not only Karen, but that Kiki girl next to her.

"What the fuck is she doing here? I thought he wasn't allowed to contact people during the case."

"She's here to help Niko in his case while it's on hold." Karen answered for Kiki.

"How did she know where we live?"

"I told her, genius. Now, wake Niko up. This is really important."

"You sound like a broken record!" I snapped.

"Don't worry, Karen. I'll wake Niko up." Kiki took two steps forward, but my arm slammed against the door frame.

"Don't you dare. He's mine. You don't touch him." I know I was being a little too protective, but this girl was trying to get back with him. I had to use extreme caution.

"What's your problem?"

I shoved her out of the way and closed the door. Pounding and protesting came next and the threats of 'if Niko doesn't come out this second, they're going to smash open the door.' I was not swayed by the threats.

I heard Niko snore deeply. The way he was sleeping was absolutely adorable. He had his head tilted to the left with his mouth hanging open. His knees were bent up and his left arm laid over his eyes. If you asked me why he looked adorable, I'd tell you that he hasn't been in this deep of sleep in a long time. Therefore, it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. Also, I was just so happy that he was sleeping soundly. Completely oblivious to the shouting outside the bedroom.

I started up my game again and made sure the brightness was turned down so the light wasn't too much. I heard the door being pounded on again. This time I chose to ignore them. I was sure they'd tire themselves out.

I was wrong.

I heard the door crack and there stood Kiki and Karen. Karen holding a crowbar and Kiki holding papers. I slid out of bed to confront them both and to stop them from getting to Niko. My hands found Kiki's arms and I wrestled with her to get her outside the door. Karen had already made it to the bed and was shaking Niko as he slept. I darted to her, but it was too late. Niko had awaken and started to choke Karen with a look of pure loathing. She tried to gasp for breath, but her passage was blocked by his strong hands. It took myself and Kiki to get Niko to let go. He still wasn't done, however. He located me and tackled me to the floor. My head hit the dresser drawer on my way down, but I felt no pain. My focus was getting him to stop attacking. His eyes horrified me as he raised his arm high up in the air. Kiki came from behind and used her body weight to hold his striking hand back. He let out a snarl that made me raise gooseflesh.

"Niko! Stop! It's Sharon! Vaš anđeo sa neba!" I hoped that my name and hearing the endearment he used on me at times made him snap out of it.

I was wrong again.

Karen regained her composure and went after Niko. I could tell she was pissed off as she beat him. Myself, on the other hand, knew he wasn't himself right now, and he needed to be stopped passively. He didn't mean to hit people unless they deserve it.

"Karen! Stop it!" I say as Niko still pinned me down.

Somehow he managed to toss Karen into the nightstand and Kiki was still trying to hold him down. He simply wiggled his arms free of her grasp.

My next move was already thought of, and I had a tear form at the corner of my eye.

"I'm so sorry, Niko."

I grabbed onto his shoulders and thrusted my knee into his groin. He doubled over in pain and swore heavily in Serbian. He was stopped for the time being, and I was able to help myself off the floor. Kiki advanced to Niko to attack him again, but I held her back as he still recoiled.

I allowed him time to get the pain out of him before I could talk to him. Karen was knocked out and Kiki was still in attack mode.

"Niko." I called to him when he looked at me. "It's vaš anđeo sa neba. Don't you remember vaš anđeo sa neba?"

His eyes had a different look about them as a sudden realization came over him. He remained on the floor crouched over with the pain fading away.

"Seć am se svog anđela sa neba. What have I done?" He choked out.

"It wasn't your fault, baby. You had another night terror. It was actually Karen's fault for waking you. But don't be mad at her. She didn't know."

"The fact of the matter is that I hit people. I hit you!" His hands shook with a filthy feeling.

"No. No. You didn't hit me. I'm okay."

"I hit you." He repeated.

"Niko."

I walked to him and I saw him lower himself like he wasn't worthy of me. I knew better.

"You didn't hit me. I am alright."

"How do you explain that gash on your forehead!" He pointed upward and I brought my hand to my head. The sticky blood dripped down from just below my hairline down to my jawline. I was unaware that he did this. I was too aware about getting him to calm down.

"You didn't do this."

"Then who did? Tell me!"

I held my tongue, and when I didn't give him his answer, he shot up and ran out of the door. I instinctively chased after him. Leaving Karen and Kiki behind.

"Niko! Stop!"

He quickened his pace and I ran full pace after him. I kept up with him and he eventually made it to the park. He stopped just before the pond. I heavily breathed, catching my breath before I started talking to him.

"Niko...wait..." I hunched over. He was in way better shape than I was, and in way better shape than most fourty year olds. "Please, listen to me. It wasn't your fault. I know yo-."

"I can't even look at you. I don't deserve you."

I held my words for a moment. I wanted him to say what he needed to say so he'd have more clarity.

"I hit you. I hit you." His eyes sealed shut as he held back tears. He gritted his teeth in self anger.

I placed my hand on him to let him know I was still behind him. He shook off my hand and turned his body. Not establishing eye contact at all.

"I have become my father." He murmered. "I am a drunken abusive bastard."

"No you aren't."

"I don't deserve to be happy."

"Stop it. Stop it right now." I was getting a little annoyed with his self abuse.

"I made a promise to my mother before I left to come to America that I would respect women. Never to raise my hand to them. Women are God's gift to men and should only be loved and respected."

It really didn't mean a thing coming from him when he's paid prositutes for lap dances and blow jobs. I guess he was young and stupid. He now realizes that he's been wrong most of his life.

"You do respect women. You were just...confused. You wanted so badly to fit in here, so you did bad behavior to make friends. You hung out with the wrong crowd, and that made you who you were." I used the past tense on purpose to help him realize he is much better than he was and who he thinks he is.

"That's no excuse. I could have said no at the time."

"You said you still felt cringy when that prostitute gave you a blow job. You felt guilty."

"I still should have said no!" He growled.

"Take it easy."

A man and an elderly woman walked by to break up our conversation. He and I held our arguments once they were to pass. Niko looked around at the pond. There were plenty of ducks and geese tending to their families. I noticed him crack a tiny smile, but once he saw that I was paying attention, it melted away.

"I don't think I should be around you for a while." He simply stated.

His suggestion dug at me so fiercely that I felt my knees give out. He was there to gather me up into a hug before I hit the concrete, and I flooded his shirt with my tears.

"I am too dangerous right now. Everything that is going on. The trial, this relocating every week, Kiki now back in my life."

"That's a big reason for me to be with you. She's after you, Niko. I KNOW IT!" I threw my head into his chest. "I can't let her take you."

"She won't take me."

I looked up at him. God he was so handsome. I wiped my tears away with the palm of my hand.

"Where will you go, then?"

"I'll find somewhere. I just need to be alone to think."

"You can think with me! Why are you doing this?"

"Because I am unstable. I think the war gave me PTSD."

"You don't have PTSD."

"What the fuck do you call what just happened?"

"You were just having a bad dream. You came to when you saw it was me in front of you."

"I could have killed you." He almost threw up after he stated the possibility.

"But you didn't."

He looked away. I saw he didn't want what he suggested. He was caving in and I needed to get him to come back home.

"You said yourself that I am the one who keeps your terrors away. I protect you from them. If you leave me, I am sure they'll come back to you more often."

He made no movements. I think I shocked him with what I said. He stared at me for a good minute before moving to me in a sudden kiss.

"Moj lepi anđeo. Kako sam imao sreće da sam sa tobom? How am I so fortunate to be with you?" He translated against my lips. I was still taken back by his kiss.

"I guess you got lucky."

He smiled a little and carried me in his arms back to the condo. Karen was nursing a bruised forehead. Kiki held the icepack on Karen's head. She sat up from a slouching position and accused Niko upon eye contact.

"Get that psycho away from me!" She hollared.

"He didn't mean it, Karen. He has night terrors. He didn't mean to attack people! It's what the war did to him!"

"I'm sorry Karen and Kiki. I really didn't mean to hit you both."

"Don't you know reality from fiction?!" Karen was still blaming him.

"Not when he has his night terrors! Didn't you hear me?" I say for Niko.

He dismissed himself back into the bedroom to be alone, but Kiki chased after him. I actually allowed her put her hands on him to she stop him. He did stop, but he didn't look at her. I could tell he was depressed after having compared himself to his father. I was sure he was nothing like him and he made a commitment to never be like him. If only I could get it in his head. Right now, he was convinced he was and deserved nothing but hate and anger. This was nothing but a lie. And Karen wasn't helping him either.

"I need to be alone, Kiki. Please, let me go."

"I forgive you, Niko."

This stunned me. Of course! Hearing that we forgave him would help him a little. I spoke up before he could say anything else.

"I forgive you, too, Niko. It wasn't you earlier. You are a sweet man. If only you could see that."

He looked at me and formed a weak smile. I noticed how drained he was.

"Thank you. The both of you. But I still need to be alone for a bit. Can I have that?"

Kiki let his arm go, and he closed the door behind him. I heard the metallic lock clink. I was surprised the door still locked after the damage Karen did to it. I sent him a text message letting him know I was here for him if he needed me.

Kiki flopped on the other sofa completely burned out. Karen wobbled her way into the kitchen for a drink and I watched her every move. My eyes locked with her's and she seemed to get my message.

"I will not forgive him. He could have killed us all! He's a psychop-"

"He is not a psychopath!" My voice reached a volume that actually hurt my throat. "He is a sweet man, and you know it! You have no idea what he sees when he has those night terrors. Neither of us do for that matter! That's why we need to forgive him! He doesn't know it was us he was attacking! The war fucked with his head and still is!"

The shouting that went on when Niko attacked us didn't wake my brother up, but now he stood in their doorway rubbing his eyes. His face had the look of utter confusion as he saw his girlfriend holding a bag of ice on her head, an unfamiliar woman sitting on the couch, and myself with a blood red face as I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"All the more reason he is crazy!" Karen shouted back.

"Hold on. Who's crazy?" My brother asked.

"He's not crazy! The poor thing was totally afraid once he knew what he did! Put yourself in his shoes! Right now, there is a man in that room probably sobbing his eyes out! He's never struck a woman in his life!"

"There's a first for everything!"

I almost attacked her, but she has a possible concussion from the attack. She wasn't worthy of my time.

"Are we talking about Niko?"

"Yes!" I say to get my brother caught up.

"He texted me asking me to come talk with him."

"Did he? Why you?"

He yawned and scratched at his stomach. The shoulder shrug he gave kind of annoyed me when he played it off like it wasn't a big deal.

"Probably because he is a guy. Niko wants to talk to a guy." Kiki stated.

It made sense after all. I looked back at my brother as he streched out. He looked back at me and assured me he would say anything stupid.

It was atleast fourty five minutes later when he came out of the bedroom. I practically lept in front of him, seeking answers. He held a glass in his hand as he made his way past me into the kitchen. I asked him what he said to him as he filled the glass with water which I assumed it was for Niko. He didn't say a thing to me as he continued past me back into the bedroom and locked the door.

I sent him a text message asking what that was all about.

Niko didn't want me to say anything to you three right now. It's a guy talk in here. Just me and him. I'll handle this.

His reply made me scared. I knew what his past was. He's told me he's been to strip clubs and with prostitutes. What help was he offering? What was he even saying? Was he helping or hindering by telling Niko all the women he's slept with? He doesn't need to hear all that.

You better not be corrupting him!

My reply came as a threat. I hoped it came as that. He'd get such a beating if he was talking about hookers.

I heard Niko laugh as I pressed my ear against the door. It was nice hearing him laugh. I concentrated hard to eavesdrop on their conversation. It was muffled slightly, but I understood what they were talking about. It was about me! About the things I've done, the jobs I've had, the things I did when I was little, the things I didn't like, the things I liked.

Another gut laugh from Niko as my brother told him that one time when I was little that I didn't like dolls at all and I tore the heads off. He told Niko I was more into toy cars rather than played with dolls. He also mentioned that one year I got a gift from my grandmother that was unexpected. It was a box of lemons. This made my brother remminise about my grandmother and the conversation changed to a more reflective topic. I heard Niko say that we will never know when we will die, so we need to make the best with what we're given. It sounded cliché when someone else said it, but Niko had a point.

I moved away from the door since I heard movement from the both of them. I sat on the couch next to Kiki and pretended I was busy and not listening to what they said.

"Hey. Playing your silly little game again?" Niko said.

"Yeah. How do you feel? Are you okay?"

He took a deep breath in thought. He seemed to be searching for the right answer as I assumed he poured his heart out to my brother. I was a little jealous as he picked him over me, but I told myself it wasn't the right time for that.

"I feel a little better. I am so sorry I hit you. I feel awful."

"And I forgive you. Really, I do. I should be sorry kneeing you in the balls."

"You did what you had to do. It was a decision you didn't want to come to. I understand that completely."

I now understood his life. It was made by things he didn't really want to do, but he had to. I had a better respect for him as well when it came to his decisions. He was given one bad choice and an even worse choice. It had been that way most of his life.

Upon understanding him more, I stood up and met him in a hug. Karen, of course, made a disgruntled noise and muttered 'give me a break.' I heard nothing of it. He seemed like he was healed and he was ready to move on. I was also told by Niko that I am back on duty to protect him once more.

My brother prepared dinner for us while Niko and Kiki worked on their testimonials for the trial. We still had no idea when his next court date was, so he needed to make sure he memorized everything. They worked on it for a good four hours. It ruined the day I planned out for him and myself. Although it was ruined in the morning by Karen rattling Niko awake, I still wanted to enjoy another day with him. His proposal ended badly for him yesterday. His attitude afterwards was simply horrible, and to top it off, he was hearing things. I was sure he had a sixth sense for things like that being on guard since he came to America, but he didn't have to be a jerk about it.

Dinner was served around 7, and Niko was visibly exhausted. He claimed he had no energy to eat, but that didn't stop him from digging in the sausage that my brother made. I watched him as he ate and adored him. He made a lot of progress in the trial, and he was working very hard during the "trial limbo" as Kiki called it. I must admit, even though Kiki was trying to take Niko from me, she still was friendly, and I liked her way better than Karen. She atleast talked to me without hurling insults after everything she said to me and even Niko.

She shared what Niko and her did on dates, how he treated her, and even shared sex stories. She claimed he was the best lover out of her other boyfriends, and I can certainly agree. I was given a better idea of what he was really like in another person's view. I was more convinced than ever that he was a kind man. Karen made a scoff here and there, saying that his past will always stay with him and he can't change. It comes as a surprise to me that she flipped sides so often. Not too long ago, she did agree that he could change. I figured that the case was stressing her out a little too. Her future was in fact tied into Niko. If the court denied his residency for any reason, Karen's contacts would pull every string in the book to keep him here and give him more work. Basically going back to square one. More contracts, more killing.

Niko and I had the rest of the night to relax. He and I shared a nice warm bath. Too bad there wasn't chocolate and candles here because that's my ideal bath. The perfect romance for the end of the day.

I lay against his body as he washed me very sensually. I noted how slowly he moved the wash cloth along my body. Enjoying my curves and spending a lot of time lightly dragging along the cloth across my belly. I wanted to know what he was thinking as I felt him harden against my lower back.

I tried to move to face him, but his arms held me in place. I settled by turning my head so he knew I was talking to him.

"I know what you're about to ask." His tone was flat.

"Then what?"

"You're going to ask me of I'm either okay, or what I am thinking."

He knew me too well. I supposed it was a good time to talk now that we were alone. I did have a lot of questions, and I wanted answers.

"Can I talk?"

"Shh."

"But I really need you-"

"Shh."

I knew what he was doing. I still kept on him, getting my answers.

"I really need you to answer me, Niko." I said seriously.

"No fun? I thought we were trying to bond here."

"We are. I have a few questions. Can you please answer them? I want no doubts between us."

"Why do you doubt me? Us?"

My guilty mind was dividing us again. I simply couldn't leave things be. I wanted to know everything that he's done. It's like I didn't trust him, and I was sure he was thinking that very thing.

"I don't doubt us. I just need you to answer me the questions I have. Please?"

"Okay. Ask away." He continued to caress me with the wash cloth.

He seemed reluctant to hear my questions, but that didn't stop me from asking for my piece of mind.

"I gotta know, Niko. Right from your mouth. Is there anything between you and Kiki?"

"Absolutely nothing. She is just a friend."

"Is she still trying to get back with you?"

"She is. But she won't get far. That night we went out was a one and only time thing."

"Did she try and make out with you?"

"A couple times. That's why I told you I stayed sober. If I drank, there would have been more attempts. From me."

"So, you're saying you have feelings for her?" I asked a little hurt.

"No! I just told you I have no feelings for her. Drinking makes me do stupid shit. As it does everyone else."

I shied away from that topic, and tried him with another. I hoped I didn't strike another nerve with him.

"Why did you ask to talk to my brother instead of me earlier?"

"I figured he would understand me better."

"What? How?"

"I don't know. I hardly talk to your brother. It was nice to have one on one with him. I didn't want to offend you."

"Then why did he say you didn't want any of us to talk to you?"

"Karen and Kiki were pissed off at me. I didn't think they'd want to look at me after I..." I caught on when he trailed purposely.

"What about me? I wanted to help you."

"Sharon, I feel like I am on trial here at home. Can't I do things without you questioning me?"

"Just answer me, Niko. Please."

"I don't have an answer for that."

"What did you end up talking about for fourty five minites?"

"It was mostly about you. Your family. The things your brother and you used to do when you two were little. I got to say, you were quite the mischievous one."

"What else?"

He paused for a while and entwined his large fingers with mine. He scooped up some water and poured it on my belly, rinsing off the soap suds. I could feel his deep thought.

"We were talking about our future wedding."

This time I managed to completely turn to face him. I wanted to see if he was lying. There was no real way I could tell for sure, but usually people fumble words when the person they are lying to looks at them.

"Are you serious? What about?"

"I asked your brother what things you really liked. I wanted to get a better idea on how to plan it so you're happy. I only care about seeing you smile." He brushed his fingers against my cheek. Some bubbles wiped on my cheek from his hand.

"I thought you were talking to him about what happened."

"No. I am trying to let that slip into past. I have your forgiveness already. Why would I need to keep bringing it up? I told you I am working on my rage problem."

"You did." I leaned closer to him. "Is there anything else you need to say?"

"There is a lot for me to say, but there will be time for me to say it."

I wasn't sure what he meant. He snuck a quick peck on my cheek and reached around to the back of my ass to pull me even closer. His cock fully erect and just dying to sheathe itself into me.

I placed my hands on his chest to keep a little distance from his lips and mine. His response was to shove himself inside me. I yelped at his fast entry and locked eyes with him.

"Do you want this?" He breathed.

"You know I do."

At this permission, he held my back side down as he drove upward into me. I looked at the ceiling, afraid to trust my voice. Small short grunts came from me as he fucked me. He was chuckling. It was a devious behavior, and I was sure he was about to lose control any moment. I prepared myself for his borderline abuse. Water sloshed out of the side of the tub as he repeatedly thrusted upward. He was inching himself further each time. I was frustrated I couldn't open my legs wider to let him slide into me easier. My legs were making it tighter and causing more friction.

He hunched forward, not losing his movements and slid a finger inside me along with his cock. He was trying to fill me more and I screamed. It was so tight, and he was so hard. I found myself pulling and rubbing my nipples in front of his face. He moaned at the sight.

"Volim da radim ovo za vas. Ne mogu dobiti dovoljno." He groaned out.

I was incapable of words again when he worked inside my pussy.

Želim ići u kugle u tebi. " He said, matching his drilling.

He flipped me over in the tub causing more water to splash out. He had me ass up and I loved every second of it. He continued to talk Serbian to me in my ear. His body weight held me down as I felt him over me. I desperately wanted to look at him to see his facial expressions. I was trapped.

Moments later, he lifted me up. I was placed on my knees in the water.

"Sisaj me." His hands cupped the back of my head as he brought me closer to his tip.

My lips parted and I accepted him into my mouth. His cock streching my cheeks out as far as they go. I applied suction at his request and I found his balls. Such ecstasy was vocalized by him as I massaged them in the palm of my hand. I loved doing this for him. His penis was so exotic to me.

"Usta su ti topla. You feel so good."

He looked down on me and I looked up at him. The nasty little tart that I was took him in as much as I could and stroked him at the same time. The sensation made him toss his head back and roared out. Something in him must have made him lose control and he lifted me up on my feet despite my protesting. I really wanted to finish him with him cumming all over my face.

He pinned me against the wall and rammed into me again. His short fast thrusts made me cry out in agony. With nowhere to go, I was at his mercy as his satisfaction was pleading him on. His arms traveled down to my sides and held me still. I could not count how many times I loved his hands on my body.

He lifted me higher on the wall by picking me up under my legs. His strong arms suspending me and my arms around his neck. I was totally open to him now. His labored breathing indicated to me that he was on the verge of his orgasm. I wiggled against his cock and that sent him in another frenzy. His punishment was smacking my ass.

"Is that all you got?" I challenged.

I shouldn't have said that.

He turned me against the wall and coaxed me to spread my legs again. His drilling was long and hard and my whole body shook against him. He held my head against the wall and whispered again in my ear. My brain couldn't comprehend what he was saying. His relentlessness and disregard for my pleasure seemed to not be his priority.

"Niko!" I gasped.

His withdrawl from me was sudden and he climaxed just seconds later. I allowed him to regain composure before I asked him to set me down. He was shaking as he struggled to hold me up. A simple tap on his shoulder gained his attention.

"You can put me down now." I smiled.

"I guess I should. I made a mess all over the wall."

I giggled as he placed me down. He looked at me with filling concern.

"Did you finish too?"

"No."

"Let's change that."

His words were made into action. Kneeling in front of me, he took one long tantalizing lick along the lips of my vagina. Such a shock went to my knees and I had to stabilize myself by placing my hands on his shoulders. I wasn't sure how strong he was after being spent, but I trusted him to hold me up.

His thumbs seperated my lips and teased me with his breath. Blowing lightly at my wet flesh. I was swolen from his ownership and this was only making it worse. My legs parted to grant him easier access to my clitorous. It was proving rather difficult to stand. My buttocks muscles was being used to hold me up.

"We're doing an awful lot of kneeling before each other, aren't we?" My voice was light. I didn't trust my voice as he licked me like ice cream. Sampling my flavor.

He smiled against my lips and I felt his teeth lightly scrape against my pelt. It was making me crazy. I brought my leg up over his shoulder unconsciously. His small moan made me shiver. His tongue flicked over my clitorous more rapidly and slid three fingers inside. Applying pressure against my g spot, I nearly collapsed. Moments later, I cried out his name. My orgasm hit me hard and slow. His mouth stayed on me as I climaxed on his face.

I opened my eyes to find him standing in front of me, grinning.

"That was amazing." He said inches from my face.

"Did I make a mess on you?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I loved it. I love your taste. You drive me wild."

I smiled shyly at him. I loved it when he shared his feelings with me.

"I love it when you go down on me. I love it when you finger me. I love it when you fuck me." I gestured every cylibal of my sentence.

"Kiss me." His words were forcefull.

I met his lips with passion. Whatever was left that is. We were both physically and mentally spent, but still, we managed to find enough to keep our passion going.

"We should get out. What do you think?" He said against my lips. "The water is getting cold."

I did like the idea of finally laying down with him to end the day. Maybe tomorrow would be better. Not only was Niko tired, but I was too. Even though I didn't do a whole lot, I was mentally overworked.

We eventually got our night attire on between our kissy faces and simple flirting. Niko was first to lay down. I stared at him from the edge of the bed. Just adoring him for a minute. He patted the mattress next to him inviting me to lay down. I didn't take him on his offer yet.

"Something wrong? I don't bite."

"We both know that's bullshit." I laughed.

"So, why aren't you laying with me? I know you're tired."

"I am. I'll lay with you in a minute."

He laid back on the pillows, spreading his legs wide open. I wondered if he ever quit. I eventually laid with my back against him between his legs. The blanket covered us and soon, the both of us fell into a deep sleep.


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Shells in the sand"

Niko's phone rang about 8 am. I was the first to awaken it seemed. Niko was passed out on the other side of the bed. He was on his belly all coccuned in another blanket. I must have stolen the blanket from him during the night. I reached over him as he slept and looked at his phone. It rang again five minutes later. The caller was Kiki. I answered for Niko and I was going to relay her message.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Is Niko awake?"

"He's not. He's knocked out."

I petted his back as he slept. Not a muscle was moving from him. Kiki continued the reason for her call. She apparently got a call from a blackmailer trying to set up Niko. I was horrified when I was told this information.

"What does this person want?" I asked still using a light whisper.

"She wants Niko to give her some cash or she'll testify against him."

"Who is it?"

"She's one of his ex girlfriends. I remember he talked about her one time, but I forgot her name."

"How do you know she was one of his ex girlfriends?"

"He talked about her once when he dated me and how she was manipulative. He only dated her for a few weeks. Apparently, he told me she accused him of raping her. She found out what he was doing by hearing the news."

"Did he actually rape her?" I asked with a hint of terror.

"He claims he didn't. They were both drunk, so who really knows what happened."

"So, what does he need to do?"

"He needs to pay her $750,000 cash."

I dropped his phone onto the bed. Kiki was calling my name when she heard me drop it. Why was this such a process for him? People are coming out of the woods to prevent him from getting what he wants. How many people were after him?

"Sorry. I dropped the phone." I said to the wrong end after I picked it up. I quickly flipped it around to catch the tail end of what she was saying.

"-you. We need to be prepared for the unpredictable in this case. He's made a lot of enemies. A lot are coming forward to get even with him."

"How many people has he screwed with?"

"Seemingly countless. You need to be careful around him."

"Powerful people?"

"Yes. Italian mobs, Russian mobs, gang members. The only people he seems to have on his side is a couple of Irish families. Old Irish families who have just as dark of a past as Niko does."

"But we have you, and the American government. That's got to count for something. Right?"

"Let's hope so. I have many years in the courts, and I have many clients who have had evidence planted on them and they came out innocent because of me."

"You're that good, eh?"

"Of course. Now, getting back to Niko. We need you to wake him up, and after the incident yesterday, you seem to have a way with him. Can you wake him? We need to talk."

"I'll see what I can do."

With that, I hung up. I reached across him to put his phone on the wireless charger. I tapped his shoulder and whispered in his ear. He gave no reaction whatsoever. He was indeed in a deep sleep.

I put my phone alarm on in the next five minutes. In those five minutes, I pleasantly called his name. Making loud noises and shaking him awake was exactly what not to do like Karen did. I mentally called her an idiot as I remembered what she did yesterday.

It must have worked because he was slowly stirring at my voice. The alarm didn't go off yet. It still had three minutes left. He still remained on his belly with his pillow over his head. I chucked a little, thinking I did the same thing when I was being woken up.

"Niko, sweetheart. It's time to wake up."

"No it's not." He murmured, and pulled the blanket over his entire body.

Atleast he was easily awakened and not having a bad dream.

"Kiki needs to talk to you. It seems very important."

"She always says that." He responded a little more awoken. "She can wait for a bit."

"I'm sure she could, but it's not in your best interest."

This time, I had his full attention. He threw the blankets off and uncovered his head. Turning his body fully around to look at me, he wondered what I meant.

"It seems you're getting blackmailed."

He shot up from the bed.

"What the fuck!" He shouted. "How do you know this?"

"Kiki called a few minutes ago, and she told me your ex girlfriend is asking money from you. If you don't give her what she wants, she's going to say you raped her when you were dating her."

"That's not going to make a bit of difference." He called her bluff.

"It will open up a whole new case for you. New allegations against you won't go in this case. It will delay your freedom."

"Fuck." He turned away from me.

"I gotta know. Did you rape any-"

"You know I wouldn't do that."

I keep striking his nerves. Shit.

"Let me guess, it was Jessica?"

"She said she didn't know the woman. You would know though. She said you talked about her once on how much of a manipulative bitch she was."

"You don't know the half of it."

"How many girlfriends have you had?"

He paused for a long while. Instead of answering my question, he stood up and paced back and forth in front of the bed. I watched him as he either was formulating a plan to not pay this woman named Jessica, or he was counting how many women he has bedded. I prefferably wanted to hear both answers.

Next came the door flinging open. Karen had that damn crowbar again. This time, I think she really damaged the door. Niko stared her down, presumably wondering why she never knocks.

"Are you two going to be lazy all day? There's work to be done."

"I know that. Sharon already informed me."

"Yeah. And it's bad news for you. They have already started searching for your DNA at her apartment. If they find anything, there will be another trial. Please tell me you didn't sleep with this girl."

"Of course I did! We were dating. I had no idea she was fucked up in the head. I have to figure out how to get around all of this."

"Why don't you kill her, Niko?" She taunted.

"Come on, Karen. Get off the rag and stop being a cunt."

I remained in bed as the two argued. Karen snapped back at him calling him a 'no good dumb fuck' for sleeping with 'every woman in the city' and not using his brain. Niko flipped his gasket and started yelling at the top of his lungs at her, calling her a 'dirty whore for the government' and she was willing to "spread her legs for the good of the country'. Both of them were at it for a good fifteen minutes.

"Why don't you just do what I told you you'd do and kill this chick? That's your solution to everything before."

"You fucking bitch! You know I don't do that anymore!"

"Oh! So, all of a sudden, you're all into the justice of others because you lost the bitch you called your girlfriend? You had a change of heart because you couldn't protect her?" Karen snapped.

I never saw the pure look of loathing on someone, and I never want to see it on Niko again. I held his arm down like he was a rabid dog going after someone. He had uncontrollable twitching in his neck as he was thinking on how to go after Karen.

"You're just as stupid thinking he can change! How you think he's totally innocent in this! He's killed people! I've read his files!"

"I don't think he's innocent! He's told me everything he's done! I'm not blinded by him. I know what I agreed to in dating him." I rubbed his back while holding his arm at my side. I tried to keep him calm. It was obvious this girlfriend she mentioned had a special place in his heart that nobody could take. And I was okay with this.

Karen scoffed and turned away from Niko, telling him to start getting dressed so he can work on his testimony more. I could tell Niko was already burned out. And it hasn't even reached noon yet.

My brother had awaken as well from the shouting match between the two. He groggily made a pot of coffee for all of us and prepared a small breakfast. This afternoon was packed with 'what if' scenarios and blindsided questions that might he asked by the judge and maybe the jury. Karen sucked me into the mock trial, saying I too needed to be ready for such questions to be thrown my way. It was a 90% chance I was to be used. Something that scared Karen because I never was in court and especially never taken that serious of an oath. Sworn on the Bible to speak nothing but the truth could hurt Niko's chance. It was because I murdered two men, I was on the run from the police, and an accessory to aiding a fugitive at large.

"Again. From the beginning!" Karen's sharp tone caught my attention.

Niko had to start over again with the whole trial. Kiki played judge because she has dealt with many in her career. Kiki's advice to Niko was to remain truthful and to try as many details as possible. The court looks into fraudulent stories and 'hiccups' in the facts. Speaking fluent and clear was the key, so the court coild stay with him and not have to backtrack. That backtrack could cost him because the judge and jury catches on quick to slight changes in his dialogue.

It was already close to 5:30, and everyone, including my brother was exhausted. I was told that he could also be used against Niko in the case. He needed to make sure he knew what to answer, how to answer, and when to answer. His past would be a negative influence. And Niko's heroic rescue only added more to his charges. The only thing that would allow him to get what he wants is extreme sucking up in the court.

I yawned and stretched out on the chair and slouched down. Karen, like a Catholic nun, yelled at me to sit straight. She was taking this mock trial way too seriously. We rehearsed this atleast four times already. Each session sprouting new questions from her. She called Niko and I fools for not knowing the answer to some of the questions, and at one point, she quit all together. It was fine with me, but Niko insisted he'd get it right the next time and begged Karen to continue. Kiki called it quits after 9pm and Karen gathered her notes together. A whole day dedicated to a fake trial. In my opinion, this really sucked.

Niko threw himself onto our bed and I followed him in. The poor guy had no energy left. I sure hoped the court would call tomorrow. My brother entered moments later and thanked Niko for all he's doing. For what reason, I wouldn't know. I was sure there was a good one though.

It was a full week later that Niko got a call that made him shoot up from bed. I watched the blood drain from his face as the caller was telling him some grim news. I overheard that the DNA tested positive at his ex girlfriends house, but there were dozens of other men she's slept with.

"So, what do you need me to do?... She's retracting her allegations?...Good...When does the trial start back up?... I'll be there." His tension melted away.

He hung up and I looked at him.

"I am safe. She doesn't have a good case against me."

"She didn't even give you a chance to get the money?"

"She's a snake. I was sure she'd rather see me in jail then get the money. She's already rich. Now she gets to go to court too. The guys she's slept with will have to go to. But I don't give a fuck about that."

"Who called you?"

"A friend."

"What did he say?"

"My trial gets back on track tomorrow at 10 am. Let's hope there is no more crap."

"I'm not sure how much you can take. It's like your past doesn't want you to move on."

"I won't let my past get in my way anymore."

He decided to get ready for the day and suggested I do the same. I'm guessing he had something planned for today. It was nice that we were able to spend some alone time out of the various places we called home. Niko came out of the bedroom, but before he did, he peeked around to see if Karen was awake. I was waved on, indicatng that the coast was clear. It was so juvenile sneaking around. It was pretty funny.

"Karen's going to be in my ass for this." He said buckling his seatbelt and tossing a duffel bag in the passenger seat. He packed it when I was in the bathroom. I had no clue what was in it.

He had no idea how true his statement was. We were atleast five blocks away when his phone rang. Her blaring voice caused him to pull the phone away from his ear while she basically raped his ear. She didn't even give him a chance to talk because he was being constantly cut off on what he was trying to say. Her threats of 'If you two don't get back here in twenty minutes, I'm going to drag us both back myself.'

I thought how the Hell would she know where we are if she can't find us. Upon hearing my rationality, Niko smiled slyly and hung up on her. The car continued on to our destination, which was almost a three hour drive with all the annoying traffic. Niko lost his temper more than once, swearing and threatening the slowpoke drivers of the city. Finally, we arrived about noon to the beach. It was a surprise to me that he has been thinking this for a while. Once he found a spot to park, his reasoning for bringing me here came.

"I remember you told me you like the beach. I never took any of my ex's here."

"Well, this is nice of you. Do you like the beach?"

"Without all the health code violations, yes."

"It's not that bad here, is it?"

Niko scoffed and tossed the bag over his shoulder. This messaged to me he was ready for relaxation. We found a spot and we threw a blanket down on the sand. I ran to the water and began frolicking. I heard him tell me to not get so wet. I used caution once he reminded me of not having a bating suit.

He came down minutes later. Ensuring the blanket was not blowing away by putting mounds of sand on the corners and putting the bag in the middle, he made his way down and watched me play like a child. I felt like I was under the caring and alert eyes of a hawk. For some reason, he never joined me in the water. I sensed he was a little on edge. Being in a public place could spark drama. And I thought this was going to be a relaxing time for him.

I waved him on to join me in the water and he shook his head. That made me walk up to him and pull him down with me. He hesitated at first, but he gave up as soon as he started.

"Why don't you want to swim with me?"

"I don't want to let my guard down."

I looked at the bag up by the blanket and looked back at him. He nodded in response to my unasked question. I wondered why he grabbed that big of a bag. He had a rifle in it along with our towels. That of course made me mad again that he never told me he was bringing a fire arm.

"I didn't want you to get upset! I'm sorry if I want to be prepared for every situation!" His arms flailed.

Just thirty minutes at the beach and already I wanted to go home. I crossed my arms and sat down on the blanket. I felt the blanket sink down when he did the same and turned my entire body away from him. He moved the bag aside to get closer to me. I moved a little away from him.

"Come on, don't be like this." He pleaded.

I remained quiet. I couldn't look at him. His paranoia was getting the best of him. He just said he wouldn't let his past get in his way. He is allowing it to control what he does. I just wanted him to relax.

"Will you please look at me?"

I still looked away far off at the dock where fishermen were waiting for their big catch. He tapped on my shoulder and I glared at him.

"What's that for? You know I can atleast protect you if things happen."

"Why don't you tell me? And don't say you don't want me to get upset. I get upset if you keep secrets from me. What was I going to say if you got caught by the police with that? 'Oh, sorry officer, I didn't know he was packing?' I don't think they'll buy that."

"Okay, listen. I'm sorry. I'll tell you from now on if I bring a gun with me." He whispered just loud enough for me to hear over the waves. "Will that make you happy?"

"If you don't say it like a dick, yes!"

He made a annoyed huff and looked away from me. I stood up and walked back down to the water where atleast I was away from him for a bit. I walked along the coast line, but not too far to where he can still see me. The slight gestures of my steps indicated to him I was still mad. I hoped it did anyway.

He still kept his eyes on me from our little spot on the beach. I saw him take a call. From far away, I couldn't read his lips as he responded to the caller. He was getting rather heated by the way he talked at the phone. Then, he put his phone in his pocket and packed up everything in the bag. I saw him move things around within the bag. I saw him running towards me. Pulling my arm, he tried to lead me away from the water.

"What the fuck are you doing!?"

"We got to go."

"No!"

"For fucks sakes, Sharon. We need to move! Now!"

I didn't hear it because of the water, but I saw the sand around his feet shoot up. He shoved me down, and covered me with his body. The gun he had in the bag made an appearance, and he shot back.

"W-what's going on!"

"I'm being attacked! Stay down!" He yelled over the rifle.

I saw two guys fall off a nearby building and pedestrians fleeing from the gun shots. Niko swore loudly at the attackers.

"Stay fucking down!"

He fired off more rounds and reached into the bag to add more ammunition. He helped me get back on my feet and lead me to find some cover. Nearby boulders sufficed as Niko ducked around them, firing off more shots to the unknown men.

"Who would be attacking you!?" I pulled on his shirt.

"Don't do that! You'll throw my shot off and make me shoot innocent people."

I could see he was an expert marksman. Being in the war paid off for him. We didn't know how many men there were, so we waited it out behind cover until the shots stopped. Niko lifted his head up just high enough to see if there were any more left. I sat against the boulder beyond terrified. He sat next to me, reloading the gun again. He had a lot of ammunition in that bag, and he fired off just as much.

"Listen to me." He turned my head to him. I was too scared to do it on my own. "We need to get out of here. Stay low and out of sight. Follow me." He nodded his head in the direction of the car.

I quickly shook my head and followed him step for step, staying crouched down. He fired off more shots in retaliation after being shot at again.

"I'll rip your fucking heart out!" He threatened.

We continued on, taking cover behind various objects. More shots were fired and Niko got a direct hit on the assassin. He fell off the building and hit the concrete below. He reloaded again and found the parking lot. It was a mad dash through all the parked cars. We were so close to more men that I was able to hear them talking to Niko in a different language. He understood them perfectly as he responded back at them.

The car was waiting for us, and we dove to the side of it as it took a barrage of bullets. Niko shot back again, killing the man. He opened the car door and helped me inside. I crawled over to the passenger side and he burned through the parking lot. Once I thought we were safe, I started to cry. It was the most terrifying experience of my life.

"We're not done yet!" He said.

I looked in the side mirror. There were two sports cars gaining speed to catch us. There was no way the luxury car we were in would outrun them. I prepared myself for Niko's defensive driving.

He was taking turns so fast that the tires squealed. I held on tight so I wouldn't be thrown around like a rag doll. His leg applied the gas and we were reaching speeds of almost 80 miles per hour. Still, the men were closing in.

"Take the wheel." He said, but my ears were ringing from my rapid heartbeat. When I didn't comply, he shouted. "Take the wheel!"

Numbly, my hands found the wheel and I did the best I could to keep the car straight. He twisted the upper half of his body backwards and fired the rifle at the cars, hoping it would get them off of us. That didn't deter them, but he still fired.

"You fucks think you're hard?!" He said, shooting at one of the cars.

It must have been enough to scare them off. I saw the car screech to a halt and the occupants get out. I took a better look in the rear view mirror, and saw the car was on fire and the men were burning to death. I held my eyes closed tight, trying to erase what I just saw. What I heard was Niko swearing at me.

"Sharon! Open your eyes!"

He slammed on the breaks but it wasn't in time. Our car rear ended into another car, and Niko was thrown from the window. My head made contact onto the dashboard, but I didn't black out. Our attackers stopped behind us and confidently strode up to the wreck. I saw Niko laying on the concrete motionless. My heart stopped. I wanted to run to him, but I was afraid I would get gunned down.

The men were talking in their language as they stood before Niko. I thought this was it as they aimed theor gun down at him execution style. Suddenly, he shot up and fired at the gunman, killing him instantly. The second attacker aimed his gun, but before he could pull the trigger, Niko shot the other. I saw him pass out from such a horrific crash. Thankfully, the car was an unoccupied, and I was able to start the car back up. It sputtered back to life. I went to check Niko out. I know as a health care professional you're not supposed to move an injured person, but we had to evacuate before the police came. I pulled hin from under his arms and laid him in the back of the car.

The car did the best it could as it rattled its way home. With an ironic ending, the car died just as I made it back to the condo. I mentally thanked the car for making it all the way back.

Karen, Kiki, and my brother heard the car grind to a stop. They all grabbed a limb and carried him inside. He was bleeding from his head, chest, arms and legs when he rolled to a stop on the pavement. I bawled my eyes out at the sight of his mangled form. I tried to remain strong because he needed my care, but Karen shoved me away, calling me an idiot and tended to his wounds.

I looked him over from head to toe. Her binding was exceptional. I thought I was the professional in health care.

"You did a good job."

She grabbed my shirt collar and threw me to the floor. "Don't flatter me. What the fuck were you two doing!? I warned him there was someone after him! He didn't fucking listen. Now I have to explain to the courts how much of a brainless fucked he is in getting himself shot!"

I cried even harder at her brutish behavior. She had nothing else to say to me, communicated through her walking away to the other room. My brother helped me back up and sat with me on the opposing couch. I watched Niko through welled up eyes as he recovered on the couch. It looked like the bleeding stopped, but there's no telling if he had any brain damage or broken bones.

"Forgive her. She was so pissed off at you two for going out. She got a call moments after you left that there was an anonymous caller threatening Niko. It was an undercover agent keeping tabs on things like that. Once he found out, he called Karen. Didn't Niko hear her talking about it?"

"He didn't hear a word she said. I convinced him she wouldn't find us." My hands shook as the events flooded back again. I felt queesy and ran into the kitchen where I threw up. My brother held back my hair. The sound of my violent heaving stirred Niko awake. He cried out in pain. Kiki was there keeping him calm. She had pain pills at the ready and prompted him to take them. I saw him holding his right arm as he sat up to swallow the pills.

"Niko, is your arm broken?"

"It feels like it's dislocated." He groaned out.

One snap of his shoulder and a pop later, and I saw him relocate it. His yelp followed and clenched his fist to require the feeling.

"Is anything broken?"

"I don't think so. I'm just fucked up. I braced myself as I was ejected through the window."

I went to him to comfort him as he hid the pain. He was forming large bruises im various places. I blamed myself for not listening to Karen. She was warning Niko, but I allowed him to disobey. This time my pigheadedness got him hurt. There was no way I was ever going to forgive myself.

He laid his head back down on the armrest of the sofa. I thought it to be a good idea to get him something softer to rest on. His pillow would give him the support he needed while he regained his health. I sat with him with his legs in my lap. I had a whole lot of apologizing to do to him when he felt better. I owed him my life.


	27. Chapter 26

Not one of my better chapters. Character fluff. Thank you to Ameture Sketch for following this story with unwavering loyalty.

This story will be on a short hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. I need to figure out where this story is going. I've said this before, but this story is writing itself and pulling me along for the ride.

I understand how some people don't like how Niko is written here, but how I see it, I figure it was time for a new take on him. Not just another Niko self loathing fic where all he does is say life is shit. His age gave him a new look on life and he finally wants to settle down. This time in this story for real. To where he will stop it nothing to get his happiness. He was tired of seeing Roman and Mallorie happy, so he took it upon himself to seek out his.

But enough about that. Here's the last chapter before the hiatus. Enjoy!

Chapter 26

"Healing old wounds"

I lost track of time during Niko's recovery. All I knew was he was on the mend. I apologized profusely over and over until finally, Niko had said enough. Even Karen was annoyed with the times I said sorry. I even said sorry to her for not listening and promised to meet her on a more neutral ground if something became a conflict.

Karen was able to postpone the trial. She told the court Niko has come into some 'unexpected trouble'. The court granted his time off, but they would call next Monday for a new trial.

During that week, I did some extensive research on the men trying to kill Niko. My sources were Karen and Kiki. Kiki had some idea as to who was after him, but she believes it was either some other group, or a bunch of rouge assassians. She believes that the Russian mob was disbanded years ago and there was no chance it was them. Still, Karen had her sources and Kiki had hers. I believed Karen more, believe it or not. She has more connections than Kiki. I believed it was the Russian mob after the facts were on the table. Niko couldn't believe it. He thought he was done with them after he killed the mob boss, Dimitri Rascalov. I supposed they reformed and are now after him.

"So, not only do we have to watch for the police, but now we have to watch out for gangs. Well done, Niko. You're really fucking yourself in this case."

"I'm sorry! Sorry for wanting to be a good boyfriend and taking my girlfriend out."

"When will you realize that this isn't all about you and your relationship? This trial is extremely important for you to fuck about!"

Niko looked away from Karen. I could tell a string of arguments came to the tip of his tongue, but he held it all in.

"Do we have your undivided attention now?"

He paused before he gave his answer.

"Or do you want to just toss this?"

"I came too far to throw it away."

"Then say you'll stop being brain-dead, and focus on this!"

"Alright! Fine!"

"Say you'll put Sharon aside until this is over. She is distracting you."

He and I looked at each other. We both knew she was right, but it was I who had the problem.

"What do you mean by 'put aside'?"

"I mean, stop trying to take her out on dates and shit. Stop fucking her every chance you get. Stop screwing up!"

"Alright already! Geez."

"Good. Now we can get serious about this. Get your notes from last time, and we will work on your trial."

This earned a very exasperated sigh from him. He didn't want to do more mock trials when he was still recovering. Karen threatened again, saying if he didn't do as she said, she'd give up.

"This is a waste of my time if you don't take this seriously! Go get your notes!"

He left the room to grab his folder like he asked. She looked at me and glared at me again. I wasn't sure what I did this time, but she was on her way to getting beat down.

"I need you away from him. Go in the other room. He can't concentrate with you here." She demanded.

"But I thought I could be used in this trial!"

"I'll call you back in here when we need you."

I did listen to her. Only because she wouldn't start the mock trial until I did. I kept myself busy by watching a movie and eavesdropping on what was being said. It was exactly the same thing as last time. Nothing new. I had a feelng after this was over that this is all he'd say.

My brother kept me company as all this was transpiring. He kept the topic about family. Mostly about how we were growing up. It was really sweet how he made a complete change from a drug addicted lowlife, to a reformed individual. It gave me hope that one day he'd find someone who will make a good man out of him who is not Karen.

"I am having a birthday coming up soon." He mentioned.

"I know. It's a week from tomorrow. Anything you want?"

"I was thinking about having my friends over. I haven't seen them in a while."

I know his friends were the people he did drugs with. I made sure to use caution in my answer.

"I'm sure they are doing alright."

"I wanted to have a party with them."

"You know that's a bad idea."

"They've been trying to clean up. They've been going to rehab."

"I'm not sure if I like this idea, but I'm not mom. You'll have to ask Karen first before you invite them over. She'll find a problem with it."

"I already asked her. She agreed."

My eyes grew wider. Did I hear him correctly? She said it was okay for his druggies to party at a government owned condominium? Now I believed she didn't like me specifically. Why? This was something I had to hear from her.

Niko bursted through the door hours later. My brother and I jumped at the sudden noise. I made room for him on the bed as he sat between my brother and I.

"What's up?"

"Karen is such a cunt!" He realized that my brother was still dating her. "No offence."

"No problem. I know how bad she is to you."

"Then how can you date her? You two are exact opposites!"

"I'm not dating her for a long term span. I can't see how I am attracted to her. She'd be a beautiful woman if she wasn't so rude."

"So, dump her!"

"That would not be a good idea. I'm sure, if it was possible, she'd be more of a bitch."

"You've got a point. But even now, she's unbearable."

"What did she say to you?"

"She's insulting me again. I screwed up on my testimony. She called me retarded and left."

"Left where?"

"I honestly don't fucking care."

My brother stood up and said he was going to scrounge up something to eat. Probably because he didn't want to hear anymore about her. Neither did I for that matter. Niko laid back on the bed to gather his head after his brain probably felt like it was trying to run out of his skull.

"You have to be positive. You'll be free soon."

He scoffed. It annoyed me a little that he was being sour. Then I guessed it was because the way she treated him. I began to feel sorry for him. This was becoming more of a process than he imagined. I sensed his distress and patted his arm, letting him know I was there for him. This prompted more irritants that came to his mind.

"Who the fuck does she think she is?!" He said as he sat up. "She has no room to be the way she is. She was just as bad as I was. She was a criminal too!"

"Oh, ho ho! Is that so?"

"She was into prostitution. She worked with the government to get her freedom back! Why was it so easy for her?"

"She was a hooker?!" My eyes shot out of my sockets.

"That's why she never liked it when I took her out at night. She was reminded of the things she's done. She saw the other women on the street and thay made her think of what she was. That's why she is an expert sting operator. She's done it from experience."

So, that's new information I could use on her. Good.

"But she was able to get what she wanted? No trial?"

"Yes. All she had to do was do favors. Like I have! Well, she never killed anybody like I have. And I was illegal, but that shouldn't matter! I'm sure they helped people with a massive file like mine plenty of times!"

"They never mentioned how long it took though."

"I just want this. not to be an asshole, but you really don't know how badly."

There was a loud crash from the other room that alerted the both of us. Niko grabbed his gun that he kept in the top dresser drawer. With it pointed in the direction he was going, he slowly moved around the condo.

"Who's there?!" He called.

"Yo. Niko, chill." A voice called back.

His eyes met a strange set of eyes. My brother was sitting on the couch with a horrified expression. Probably because of the gun aimed at his friend.

"Who are you?!" He demanded.

"Chill, man. I'm Aaron. I'm friends with Ethan."

"How do you know my name? I've never seen you before."

"He's told me all about you, bro. You're the badass Serbian killer. Fucking sweet!"

He lowered his gun, but he still had a scowl on his face. This man was praising Niko for the terrible crimes he's done. I could tell he was making him very uncomfortable.

His attention was directed to my brother, who was smoking weed and was now laughing hysterically. I was furious at his poor decision making. This was his idea of celebrating his birthday?

"You dumb asshole! What the fuck are you doing?" I lunged at him.

"What do you think, sis? Celebrating!" He laughed even harder.

I was sure the smell would attract attention to our home. I took the blunt and smashed it on the floor with my foot. The damage was done though. I could tell my brother was higher than a kite. Even his so called friend was hanging on Niko and laughing uncontrollably, pretending to shoot with his finger gun.

This was making him ready to erupt. I could see it in his eyes. This was another betrayal. My brother was throwing himself into the drug scene after Niko saved him from being arrested.

"Get the fuck off of me!" He shoved Aaron to the floor.

The guy was so high that he laughed until he was red in the face when he hit the floor. My brother was on the floor with him.

"This is bullshit." He said under his breath and returned back in the bedroom.

I ran after him before he decided to take his rage out on objects.

"Hold on, Niko."

"For what!?" He snapped. "For your brother to destroy his life after he was getting back on track? Don't tell me you're not as upset as I am!"

"I am mad, but it's just pot. Atleast it's not meth!"

"Oh, that's better! Why don't we just pretend your brother didn't have a drug addiction. Let's just say he's about to relapse! He doesn't need that idiot here with him!" He paced back and forth in front of me.

"Okay! Calm down."

"Don't tell me to be calm! You know he's about to take steps back and you want think this isn't a big deal? I've seen people, some of my close friends relapse and die because of overdose! Do you want the same to happen to your brother?"

"No!"

"Then help me get this dope head out of here!"

"What do you need me to do?"

He grabbed Karen's handcuffs from her bedroom. This really wasn't going to end well.

Ethan and Aaron were still laughing so hard their faces were red. It was easy enough to put the cuffs on Aaron, but he started to resist against Niko as he shoved him to the door. He managed to twist himself out of Niko's grip and ran around the house with his arms behind his back.

"Get your ass over here!"

This of course made my brother almost wet himself as he struggled to corral Aaron. I tripped him up by sticking my leg out. He fell onto the floor again, but this time he felt the pain. He groaned out and rolled onto his back.

"You dumb shit." Niko wrestled him off the floor and did manage to get him outside. He didn't stop there. His eye was on Karen's SUV. I opened the door for him and Niko ever so nicely shoved him inside.

"Don't move!" He warned.

Next was getting the pothead away from the home. I wasn't sure where Niko was taking him, but he told me to stay behind and keep an eye on my brother.

I found my brother passed out on the couch. I assumed he laughed himself into a sleeping stupor because not even the water I splashed on his face woke him up. I guessed it was best just to let him sleep it off. Then he'd wake up hungry enough to eat everything we had. Guess I'll write another shopping list. Roman will be ecstatic.

Niko came back an hour later with a look of hurt. I searched his face to see why. It looked like he'd been crying a little.

"Are you okay?"

"No I'm not." Came his disheartened reply.

I wanted to get close to him, but he moved away. He did something to Aaron. I was sure of it.

"Why are you closing up again? Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm hurt! That's what!"

Seeing as though he wasn't physically hurt, I poked around his mind for more. Something came up from his past again. Something that was making him be like this.

"What's hurting you?"

"Fuck it. You won't understand." Defeated, he sat at the table, pouring himself a glass of water. "It's not going to make things better."

"It might. Tell me what is hurting."

I was glad for one thing, Roman didn't get any alcohol the last time he went shopping. I was sure he was thinking about going to the store and getting a bottle of vodka himself. His go-to drink of choice to help him forget.

"Do you know what it feels like to lose a family member?"

"I told you the story about my aunt's stillborn. And about my grandmother. I have lost too, Niko. I'm pretty sure I know what you are feeling."

"I lost my brother to drugs. He was only twelve years old. It was the years of abuse he had to take from a broken home. I was able to push the anger down. He took it out on himself and did drugs. I tried to help him. To get him help. It was like I was talking to myself. In the end, all those times I helped him, it didn't matter. I was never the same after that. If you call my life normal, that is. His death made me devote some of my time helping those who were addicted. Like your brother. And this is how he repays me?!" He shot up from the table, causing his chair to flip backwards.

I wanted to make sure he didn't do anything to hurt his already wounded self by taking his rage out on a wall, or hurting my brother.

What came next was Niko yelling at me to come over to look at him. He had no pulse. I immediately dialed 9-1-1 while Niko did the best he could at CPR to revive him. I had no idea how long he didn't have a pulse, but Niko will be damned if he let another die from drugs. I was surprised that weed made his pulse stop.

"God damn it! Don't you fucking die!"

I started to shake as I still saw my brother lifeless and Niko sweating as he vigorously resuscitated him. I was told to stay on the line as the paramedics and police arrived.

"You mother fucker!" He growled at the inanimate body. It seemed like his vulgarity was directed towards himself.

There was nothing Niko could do. He was exhausted, but he continued on. At this point, I thought it was useless, and I broke down on the phone. Niko sat up against the couch and tried to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry, Sharon." His voice cracked. "I'm sorry, Marko." He lost it with me as he cried into his elbow.

The police arrived minutes later, telling Niko to move away from the body. Paramedics raced their way up to the house with a flatbed stretcher. The medics tried to revive him with CPR, picking up where Niko left off. They were more trained in this, and I watched them as they worked on him. The AED came out of the pouch and the medic told everyone to clear away. I saw his body tense up as the shock traveled through the pads on his chest. I looked away for a second, imagining the pain associated with being shocked. Niko watched with expectation, wanting my brother to regain consciousness.

After the first shock from the AED, the medic continued CPR.

"Come on!" He urged.

Admimister second shock

The machine directed. The medics, again, told us to clear the body. Another pulse of shock was administered. This time the machine detected a faint pulse.

"Keep that pulse going!" The other medic said.

One officer handed the medic a towel from our kitchen so he could wipe the sweat from his brow. The other asked Niko aside for questioning. I didn't bother paying attention to them. My focus was on my brother's revived status.

The medic tried shaking my brother to gain his attention. He remained silent, and the man lowered the stretcher all the way to the floor. Gently, they hoisted him onto the bed and took him away. I wanted to follow them, but the officer stopped me at the doorway.

"Let me out! He's my brother!"

"Your brother is wanted. And so are you too." He cuffed Niko and I and we were escorted to the back of the cruiser.

By divine luck, Karen pulled in and immediately started questioning what was going on. She was told by the officer that we were being taken to jail. Karen flilped her government employee badge and told him to release us both under the authority of U.L. Paper.

The officer went pale and released us from the car. She told us to wait inside while she dealt with police.

Inside, we both tried to gather our heads as to what happened. How could something as simple as marijuana be enough to almost kill my brother? Who would even think to do so?

"I just can't form a plausible story, Niko. I don't know." I said with the after burn of tears. I was hoping he was okay as they took him to the hospital.

"I think I have an idea. Two in mind actually."

I urged him on by looking at him. He seemed to have a better grasp on things like this.

"One: Someone from his past wants him dead. A drug deal gone bad. Two: The man who betrayed me. I'm almost positive he has something to do with this. That Aaron guy could have been bought to kill Ethan."

"Why?"

"There must be something to gain for him. If only I knew his name!"

Karen joined us inside. She overheard Niko talking about her employers. She suggested it actually wasn't either options he had. Her thought was someone was trying to frame Niko. Being involved in another "murder" would slow down the process. Someone out there doesn't want him legal.

"I don't think that's it." Niko doubted. "I think it's your boss who's trying to get to Ethan."

"He doesn't even know where he is."

"You don't know that. He is a very powerful man. I'm sure he is keeping watch on us right now!"

"If that was the case, I am sure he'd be gathering us all up by now. This has nothing to do with my employers. I think it has something to do with his past. These drug dealers are always trying to get even with each other. We don't know who he screwed over."

My mind drifted away while NiKo and Karen argued again. I was thinking of the possible things he's done to people. Ripping them off in various ways so he could get ahead. It was after all that did I decide that it was too dangerous to continue thinking like that. My blood was boiling already. I didn't want to lose my temper.

"That's why we need to get him out of that hospital once he is better." Niko said.

"It could be a while. He could even have brain damage. You two don't know how long he was without oxygen."

That's even worse. Having a braindead brother on life support was almost the same as baby Kate. Making the decision to either continue that sort of life, or to end it. A fresh new batch of tears flooded my face, and Niko was there to hold me.

"I know. This isn't what we wanted for him." He consoled.

Karen, for once, showed her emotion and sobbed a little.

The evening was spent on the couch for all three of us. The television glowed against the walls as we blankly stared at it. We were all drained. I was the first to drift off to sleep after Niko had said something to me. I didn't hear him at all.

Who do you think you are? This little bitch just stole my horse!

My mind selected one of the scenarios I thought of and decided to make it into a dream.

I stole nothing from you, you goddamned asshole! I was the one who was ripped off! Your buyers set me up! They tried to kill me for the heroin!

The dealer began motioning erratically, explaining how easy the sell was. He called Ethan a moron for not following simple orders.

It wasn't my fault!

White boy! This is all your fault! In fact, how do I know you just didn't use the shit yourself? You are a junkie. You thought it would be a fast fix for you, so you used my batch!

If I used your batch, I wouldn't be standing here! I tried to make the sale. I almost died!

Of course, the dealer had none of it. He held the gun to Ethan's head as he approached him. He didn't back down. He only repeated what happened. It was one last time he said his explanation, then the dealer pulled the trigger and my brother fell to the floor in the same position he was in the condominium.

I shot awake. The lifeless body of my brother still burned in my mind and for a few seconds, was all I saw in the dark. My brain gathered itself once I calmed down. I checked the time on my phone.

"4:35?" I whispered.

Niko must have carried me to bed. He lay next to me on his side facing me. He looked like he was sleeping soundly, so I decided to leave him rest. There was no way I was going to be able to go back to sleep after having such a violent nightmare, and I was certainly not in a hurry to do so. Not wanting to have another dream like that, I pulled myself out of bed. My phone acting as a flashlight, I moved aroumd the bedroom to put on some clean clothes. The ones I slept in were all sweaty.

I made my way to the kitchen. My phone beeped indicating I had a few missed calls. My mother called early. She found out that Ethan was hospitalized yesterday and she was told he was stable. I thanked the Lord that he spared my brother. This was his second chance.

I put my head down on the table. I wanted to visit Ethan, but I was sure all I would do was scream at him for being so careless. I still wondered how he almost died just from smoking weed. And why the hell would his good friend want him dead?

The sun peaked through the blinds around 6:30. A slight overcast prevented it from fully shining. I looked through the blinds. It rained laat night judging by the puddles. For some reason, this made me sob. I imagined it was symbolic. My grandmother. Crying in Heaven when she witnessed my brother almost die. Then seeing this stranger try his hardest to bring him back. It set the mood for the entire day for me.

Karen was next to awaken. She didn't say a word as she shuffled around the living room. I wasn't sure what she was doing. I really didn't care either. I paid more attention to the birds.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

My head snapped to her. More because I didn't expect her to say anything to me.

"I guess so."

"Any plans on seeing him in the hospital today?"

"I was thinking of it. Once everyone is awake. Niko is still asleep."

She nodded and prepared a pot of coffee for us. When the brew stsrted, she sat across from me. Her engrossment directed towards me.

"What?" I asked.

"Why were you awake so early? You usually wake up around seven or so."

"I had a nightmare. One that felt so real."

"Was it about Ethan?"

I looked away out the window. The events of my dream came crawling back. A bead of sadness ran down my cheek.

"I got a phone call from my mother. She found out yesterday when the hospital called her about what happened. They said he was stable. I'll get more information from them when I go up. They couldn't tell me over the phone."

"Yeah. That information is confidential. What time do you want to go up?"

"I want Niko to sleep. He's been sleeping like shit. Whenever he is ready."

The coffee pot beeped. Karen verbally excused herself to pour herself a cup.

My phone rang. It was my mother again. She sounded a lot calmer then her voice mail she left not four hours ago. Apparently she spent the night with my brother. He was doing better this morning and was asking if I was going to visit. I was mad at him. But I wasn't going to miss out on seeing him. I told her once Niko was ready.

"Who's Niko?"

Oh shit! She doesn't know who he is. My brain was still half asleep. I conjured up a little lie to satisfy the question.

"He's...one of Ethan's friends."

"He's not one who does drugs, is he? I don't want him up here if he is."

"No, mom. He doesn't do drugs. He's the one who tried to revive Ethan. He's a really sweet guy. Very kind and caring."

She acutally invited him to the hospital so she can thank him personally. Now I needed to explain to Niko that we don't really know each other. I was the one who was wanting no secrets between him and I, yet here I am lying to my mother about him. I was being hypocritical.

She was talking about how she missed him through the years and how badly she wanted to be there for Ethan. She didn't know he became a drug addict and dealer. It was after she finished her self blaming did I speak up to tell her some of the truth.

"Mom, I need to confess something. Niko and I. We are dating. I shouldn't have lied to you. I was embarrassed that I haven't been keepng in touch. I really wanted you and Niko to meet under better circumstances than this. I'm sorry."

"Well, this comes as a surprise. I'm disappointed you lied, but I am much happier for you that you are still interested in dating. You had some bad guys you were dating. I was afraid you'd lose interest."

"Yeah. I'll tell you the story on how we met, but right now, Ethan needs us. I am sure he is pretty scared after what happened."

My mother agreed and she told me she wanted to get back to Ethan. I overheard her tell him I was on my way up to visit. He sounded pretty excited. Even asking if Niko was coming too. He and Niko have gained a bond that no other man has with him. It was really sweet. Niko gained his trust and respect, and in return, Ethan was really his best friend.

After the phone call, I checked on Niko. He was still asleep. I heard him mumbling something again. The alarm went off as soon as I approached him. This wasn't even enough to wake him. I hit the snooze button for him, giving him atleast ten more minutes.

I snuggled close to him as he slept. With his head on my chest, he stopped mumbling. I assumed he was having another nightmare and it gave me enormous pride to think that I was the one who scared the dream away.

"What time is it?" He asked after a few minutes.

"8:30ish." I guessed. "Do you want to go see Ethan at the hospital? My mother called and he really wants us up there."

"He's okay?"

"He's stable. My mother stayed overnight with him."

"Does she know what happened?"

"The doctors will tell us when we get there."

He slowly lifted his head off my chest to look at me. I petted him, ensuring him that I was okay.

"Do you want to go up there now?"

I nodded at him. He took the initiative to get himself up.

Karen knocked on the door. Her usual plowing down the door was not an option.

"Is Niko awake? Ethan called me. He really wants to see him."

"He's in the shower. He will be ready in a few minutes."

I got dressed, having decided to not take a shower. Using my cologne and deodorant, I hid the stench of body odor. Niko came out of the bathroom moments later after I poured another cup of coffee.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"No coffee?"

"I'm alright. Where's Karen?"

"She started the car. She's waiting outside."

We joined Kared outside. She was smoking in the SUV while she waited. Niko and I sat in the back and we went to the hospital. The traffic was horrible. The 9 o'clock rush hour was a task to get through.

Karen, who had been collected until now, started exploding in horrific expletives. I told Karen to be calm. Her snap reply came, but she apologized immediately.

We pulled up to the visitor parking lot around 11, and I ran to the entrance. I found the receptionist and gave her my last name. His room was upstairs. I didn't care who I alerted when I ran through the hallways. I was on a mission to find my brother.

His room number was 220. I heard laughing as I approached. There he was, sitting up in the bed with my mother sitting at his bedside. I was so happy to see him well. The doctor was in the room just waiting for us to arrive. Niko and Karen respected the hospital rules and walked through the hallway. They came minutes later. The doctor stopped them from entering.

"What I have to say can't be discussed unless you are family. Privacy."

"It's okay, doctor. This is the man who tried to save me. He is close to family as my sister."

He nodded them both in and stood against the wall, flipping through papers. I admit, he was making me nervous. It looked like he was sifting through a bunch of health issues my brother had. I sat in the bed with my brother amd gave him a hug. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

"I didn't think I would be able to do this again, you butthead."

"I'm sorry, sis. I was stupid. But the weed wasn't the cause of what happened. That doesn't make it right, though."

I searched for answers from the doctor. He clicked his pen as he discussed what happened. It wasn't the weed, like he said. He had a mild heart attack when he passed out after smoking the weed. I had no idea he had a heaet attack. It was the high stress levels over the weeks. It was taking its toll on him. The theories and possibilities we were conjuring were nothing more than that. Niko showed his surprise and a little guilt when he roughed up Aaron.

"So, it was a heart attack? Nothing to do with the pot?" He asked to clarify.

"It was the day to day stressors. And that's saying nothing about his drug use. I am writing him a prescription for anxiety medicine and he needs to take it easy. No stress whatsoever."

Niko, I could tell, made an inward laugh. Those who associated with him had to deal with his extremely stressful life situations.

"That goes for all of you. If Ethan had a heart attack, think about yourselves as well. Take it easy for a few days. Take a walk, go to the beach, take a small vacation. Take in the small things."

I desperately wanted to say something to Niko about our trip to the beach amd how it ended up in disaster, but I kept my mouth shut. The doctor doesn't need to know what our lives are really like.

"We will want to monitor Ethan for a few days. We want to make sure he remains calm, and that he doesn't have another heart attack. Please let our staff know if you need anything. I'll leave you to visit." He waved and shut the door behind him.

We all did a collective sigh. It wasn't made obvious that we were all fugitives somehow, and we were hoping the doctor didn't recognize Niko. He wasn't on television, but his European accent might have given him away.

I thought it was a good time to introduce Niko and Karen to my mother. I didn't want to give too much away, but my mother already knew Ethan did drugs. I tried sugar coating the story a little.

"Mom, this is Niko. The man who tried saving Ethan. He did CPR on Ethan."

"The doctor told me that if it wasn't for Niko, Ethan would have died for sure. He kept his heart going and gave him oxygen until the paramedics arrived. They said he had a faint pulse, but you were the one to keep it going. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my son and keeping him alive." She stood to meet Niko for a hug.

I saw him actually get taken back. He's never been thanked for something like this before. Amd I was sure he was thinking of his brother, Marko.

"I only did what I thought was right and what anyone would do in my situation." He said after their hug broke.

"Well, you are Ethan's hero. He wouldn't stop talking about you whem he regained consciousness."

"I'm not a hero."

"Yes you are! You saved me." Ethan spoke up.

He smiled back at him.

"I'm sorry for being an idiot. From now on, I'm never doing drugs. I am going to get clean."

"I'm glad. You don't know how badly I wanted you to say that."

"I'm sure Marko is smiling down on you, Niko." I added.

I saw him give out. He saw his brother in my brother. He felt like he has redeemed himself somehow by saving Ethan. I was there comforting him as he sobbed. All those years of pain from losing his brother finally ended and he was able to let it be at peace. To move on from one dark chapter in his life and he was one step closer from not being a prisoner of yesterday.

I decided to add some music to this fic. It adds more emotion to a story, and this is just a small sample of what I listen to in order to write this story.

I could be the one your love could save  
"Soundtrack"  
1\. Live "Dolphin's Cry"  
2\. Soil "Redefine"  
3\. Cold "Starless"  
4\. 12 Stones "This Dark Day"  
5\. Sum 41 "Without you"  
6\. Yellowcard "Only One"  
7\. Starset "My Demons"  
8\. Breaking Benjamin "Ashes of Eden"  
9\. Pop Evil "Footsteps"  
10\. Imagine Dragons "I'll make it up to you"  
11\. Three Days Grace "Lost In You"  
12\. Devour the Day "The Bottom"  
13\. Linkin Park "Somewhere I belong"


	28. Chapter 27

Ah, so. Welcome back, eh? It's been about a month since I last updated? Yeah. I wanted to focus on new ideas for this story. And my birthday was the 15th of August. I am now an old 33 years. XD

But enough about me. Here is the first chapter after the month long hiatus. Thanks to those who left reviews and took the time to read the story that has been in my mind for a really long time. Also, thanks for accep Niko as slightly OOC here. I believe I explained my reasoning for him and some were a little accepting of it. Time really makes people change, and I think that in Niko's case, it hit really hard.

Here is the story!

Chapter 27

"Confessions of obsessions"

I don't know how Karen does it. Somehow she managed to get the court to see Niko earlier than Monday. I was sure the judge and jury was tired of the delays. But in Niko's defense, the first time wasn't his fault. Nor were the other times really. He couldn't help the fact that he was being hunted. Hunted by someone who wanted him to remain illegal. Or to kill him outright. I was basically dating a ticking time bomb. His time on Earth was somehow being limited. But he wasn't going to go down without a fight. We were protected by the government, but they couldn't protect us if we didn't listen to their rules.

We were back home. Without my brother. He was being held for a few days for tests. I was sure he was absolutely thrilled to stay. Sarcasm.

Niko had a noticeable new look on things after being hailed a hero. Even though he didn't accept the title my mother gave him, he still had a bounce in his step as he prepared breakfast for the three of us. His haunting past of losing his brother finally drifted away, giving him almost a clarity. He was allowed to look forward and the things he wants. Not what others want.

Karen complimented on Niko's cooking, telling him she's never had an omelet so good. I certainly agreed. His cooking expertise couldn't even be matched. I'd even go as far as to say he's surpassed my mother's cooking. The man knew what he was doing in the kitchen. The term I called him before, cook magician, was fitting for him.

We did the best we could keeping things calm. It was a doctor's order. Karen thought it stupid to listen to him in the first place. I reminded her she'd be the next to be in the hospital. Her smoking only increased her chances above Niko and I. She did eventually agree. Her verbal attempt to try to stop smoking all together shocked me. I knew it wouldn't really last long. She still had the trial to go through as well. Her smoking was her way to cope with the stress.

I called my cousins to catch up with them. I told them I found love and they'd all see him soon. They really wanted to meet him with the stories I told them. Of course, once this whole thing was settled, I'd introduce him to my family. I told them his work was giving him so many hours. It was hard finding the time to go out and enjoy ourselves. I guess Niko was right. A white lie is sometimes necessary. I swore I'd tell them eventually what he's done. Just not now.

Niko even took it easy. Karen allowed him to do only one mock trial a day until the trial. This was done early in the morning once he was ready. The rest of the day was ours. We really couldn't go anywhere far from the condominium, so the days were spent around the little park behind the condo. Niko watched the children play on the swings and whispered into my ear. He told me he could now see us having children of our own, moving out of the apartment, getting a nice house that was custom built overlooking the lake. He even thought of getting a dog. He said when he was in the war, he and his squad adopted a stray and named the dog, Jovan, which meant "God is gracious." He hinted at wanting another dog once we got settled in. He painted a picture so vivid with his words, that even I saw it with him.

For the first time ever, he didn't bring a fire arm either. I looked him over before we arrived at the park and I saw no holsters, or straps or anything that could carry a hidden gun. He seemed a little more at ease. Going too far from saftey obviously made him take extra precautions.

"Have you heard any word on Ethan?" He asked.

"Nothing new."

"I don't suppose you can call him. See what's happening?"

"I guess I should. Out of curiosity, Niko. What did you end up doing to Aaron? You never told me what you did with him."

"I got him checked into a rehab place I knew of. My friend went there when he became addicted to painkillers and tranquilizers."

"People get addicted to the strangest things."

He smiled and threw his arm over my shoulder to play with my hair.

"I know I've become addicted to you."

I held back a schoolgirl scream. My phone would provide me with a distraction. The location based game started up and he laughed.

"I know you've become addicted to that game. What do you see in playing that?"

"I grew up playing this game on my handheld game. I collected the cards. I even had plushies! It's just the nostalgia. Once I heard it came out on the phone, I downloaded it."

"Let me see what it's all about."

What's this? Niko Bellic wants me to introduce him to my silly little game? Well, I'd be able to talk his ear off. If he let me, that is.

I showed him how to play, what I got, what level my creatures were, what team I was on, how many medals I have. He finally said enough. I laughed, telling him he asked for it. To my amazement, he pulled out his phone and downloaded it.

"Show me how to play."

He was such a noob. I had to show him everything. I told him to join up on my team, but he liked the other color better. He said it reminded him of my eyes.

Damn him for being so adorable.

I countered, trying to keep myself again from squealing.

"You want to be on my team because it is better."

"How so? Do I get bonuses or something?"

"No. You'll just be on the cooler team. All my friends and cousins are on the same team. You'll be able to join in on helping us take over areas."

"So, this is a gang thing?"

"No. There's no gangs involved. It's just, if you join the other teams, you won't be able to help us take an area over. You'll be the odd man out."

"Alright, alright. I'll join your team. How do I do that?"

"You have to be level five."

"You mean I got to level up? That's pretty cheap. That's how they get you hooked."

"It's not hard to level up. Come on, I'll show you."

I lead him around the park, getting the creatures he needed to get. It was easy because there were plenty of creatures to get. And there even was a place to spin so he could get supplies to get them. Soon enough, he became level five and he was able to join our team.

"Okay? Happy?"

"It wants you to create a screen name. So we know it's you who's playing. You can gift other players and trade as well."

His screen names were so immature. I laughed at a couple. Mr. Longdong was one, and P3NI5M4N was another. The last one made me almost drop my phone. 5EXM4573R. All those names and obviously the game wouldn't let him choose it.

"This game is stupid."

"Hold on, sex master. I have a name for you."

"What?"

"How about, Slatki seksi srpski?"

"You know it won't let me take that." He smiled fondly at me.

"Then try, Slatki srpski."

"Will it let me use Serbian language?"

"Try it."

A success! Niko is officially playing my silly little game and we played up until 7 pm. I was impressed with his haul and how he caught on so quickly.

"I made something for dinner." Karen said as we walked in the door. "I've been waiting for you two to come home."

"Sorry, Karen. We wanted to have some time together."

"And leave me all alone?"

"We figured you wanted to be alone for a bit. It wasn't that long."

"I am hurting right now, and you two don't care. You think that because I act like a hard ass, that I don't have feelings!"

"No, Karen. It's not that. We didn't know you were hurting."

He approached her as she fell to the couch and cried. She was human after all.

"What do you need me to do to get you to not hurt."

'Be careful, Niko.' I thought.

"I want you to tell me I didn't almost lose my boyfriend just yesterday. I was so scared. I thought he was dead."

"I had no idea you two were that serious."

"Of course we are, you Balkan idiot. I-I..."

"You...what?"

"You know what I am going to say."

He cracked a small smile. "You love him."

"But not how I love you."

He stood before her as she sat on the couch. I could see the look of shock on his face. It seemed like a millennia passed us by until Niko moved away from her, saying nothing. It wasn't like him to leave things the way they were. He almost had an explanation for any situation.

Karen covered her face and cried harder as if in her mind she was just dumped by him. I sympathized with her. It reminded me of one of my ex boyfriends. He left me the same way. Not saying a word or reason why he lost interest in me. I was left thinking for months it was me who was damaging our relationship. It was up until I dated another boyfriend did I find out he was cheating on me. All those months I thought I was doing something wrong and I was supposed to figure out what it was. I never felt such anger before.

I found Niko in our bedroom sitting at the little computer desk. He was staring off into nothing. It was strange. For once, he had nothing to say. His eyes found mine.

"It's strange. I knew she had a thing for me even after we went our own ways, but it was strange hearing it."

"Words have a way of scaring us sometimes. Go tell her what's on your mind. She's crying." I said standing next to him with my arm around his shoulders.

"I know she is. I just don't know what to say."

"Well, do you still love her?"

"No! That is in the past. I have no interest in her anymore. I love you."

"Then tell her. She might think you still do."

"Or she doesn't. She might be confused."

I was getting a little upset at him that he won't set things straight with her. He let things hang out in the air. Everything deserves an answer. Even if it isn't what they want to hear. It harms people if things are left.

"Go out there and tell her you're not interested in her. She needs to hear it."

"I told her that before. She keeps falling for me. I can't help it."

She must have heard us from the living room. We weren't really using hushed tones. She was standing in the doorway with an unreadable expression. I wanted to tread lightly around the topic. I sensed a huge fight between Karen and I. And just as we were beginning to understand each other.

"Karen, are you alright?"

She moved in front of me. Completely ignoring me, she kissed Niko. His eyes shot open and I tried to pull her away. His hands held up to let me know he wasn't allowing this to go any further.

"Get off of him!" I yanked her off and threw her to the floor.

"I'm sorry. I missed the way you tasted, Niko. You are nothing like I've tasted before."

My blood was boiling. There was no hiding her longing for that kiss. I pounced on her, but Niko pulled me off of her before I could get a swing on her.

"You're not helping, Sharon!" He sat me on the bed as he played peacekeeper between Karen and I.

She remained on the floor with her legs spread. I stared her down as she crooked her finger at Niko. The nerve of her.

"Let's have a threesome." She purred.

"What's gotten into you?" Niko accused.

"You will." She lustfully said.

"Get out!" His finger shot out and pointed outside. He was not amused.

She instead got off the floor and went after Niko where he stood. He caught her in mid air. Her lips were all over his in an ignited forgotten passion. I began to hit her.

"I like it dirty!"

I stepped back and Niko took advantage of the space. He swung her around by using some technique he learned. Somehow he managed to get her over his shoulder with his amazing upper body strength.

"Where are you taking her?" I asked when I saw him go to leave the condominium.

"Away." Came his reply.

It wasn't a smart idea to leave me alone. I felt eyes all over this place. I must have picked that up by dating Niko. Hours went by, and he finally came home without Karen. My mind went to instantly blaming him for something I wanted him to confess.

"Where were you?!"

"I took Karen back to the agency. She's not right. Something snapped inside her. I think she needs mental help."

"Are you lying to me?"

"No, Sharon! Why are you so upset?"

"Because you were gone for three hours! What did you really do? Did you fuck her?"

He snapped at me. His string of anger was one loud shout as he told me he doesn't like the accusations. He held himself in one spot and waited for me to speak. I couldn't help the way I felt. Niko didn't even try to fight her off of him. He just waited for me to take action. I guess I was still wound up about it. Her lips on his still burned in my memory and it felt like he was somehow tainted. I took a deep breath to ease my racing mind.

"I'm sorry, Niko. You didn't deserve to be yelled at. I was just so upset about this whole thing. She shouldn't have kissed you."

"I don't think you are sorry." He crossed his arms as if to challenge me.

"What do you mean?! You have to understand how I feel. I'm sure you'd feel the same as I do if I kissed another man!"

"There's a huge difference between being kissed by someone else and not wanting it and kissing someone else who does."

"You made no sense!"

"You said if you kissed another man. You wanted to kiss him. She kissed me. I didn't want that. There is a difference."

"Well, excuse me! You know what I meant!"

"Then you accuse me. You asked me if I was lying! I never lied to you, and I don't plan on starting now! I was going to suggest we go out for dinner tonight. Now I think I need to be away from you."

I ran up to him as if he was going to really leave. I had my doubts that he was going to.

"Please don't leave me. I am really sorry. What can I do to get your forgiveness?"

He looked down at me as he bit his lip. I angered him again. This time, I let him go. I figured if he went away from me, he'd come back with a clearer head.

"Go ahead. Do what you need to do." I looked at my feet.

"Stay safe." He said and left for somewhere even he didn't know.

The condominium was left quiet. I was all alone. Even my game didn't entertain me. I burst into tears thinking again I screwed up our relationship with my blame. I couldn't explain why I was mad at him. Why I was still sort of mad at him even after the hours that went by.

I ate a small dinner alone around 6. My brother called me just before I thought about going to sleep. He told me they plan on letting him go tomorrow afternoon. His tests came back good. Apparently the doctor was looking for plaque in his arteries via x-ray. I kept quiet about the drama he missed. He couldn't afford the stress. He wished me a good night and told me he'd see me tomorrow. I really wanted to talk with him more. It kept me happy. His reply came telling me he needed to go for one more test. He was to do a sleep test to monitor his heart at night. They were really doing extensive testing on him. I was glad they were so if he has another one, they'd know why.

My night ended around 11 o'clock. It was hard to find sleep without him next to me. His surprise phone call came around midnight. He didn't tell me where he was.

"I really don't want our day to come to an end in anger. I've thought about it, and I forgive you. I'm not ready to come back yet. I need to have some time alone. Have a good sleep, and know that I love you."

"I love you, too, Niko. I miss you."

I really wanted to know where he was so I could go to him. He hung up on me before I could. He must have known I was going to ask. I didn't feel sorrow. I actually felt pretty good he called me. Even though he kept to himself.

The next morning, I awoke with the condo still silent. I thought he'd come home and surprise me. My gut felt twisted in all sorts of directions that I didn't even bother eating breakfast. I instead relaxed on the couch and let myself reflect on all the things Niko and I did together. It made me smile that he was so genuine with me. He shared things with me that scared most people. But I still found him really interesting. As a man who had to start from a poor background, having just getting electricity in his home back in Serbia at the age of twelve, then scrounging up a life here in America after settling things with his cousin first. He really put others before himself. A quality that really made him a caring person.

I also reflected on the times we shared laughs, how we shared tears, excitement, terror, and even love. He told me he thought he'd never find love after Kate. That day at the grocery store proved that he shouldn't have written off love. My thoughts turned to the future of us. How we could share a home, share children, and even sharing that dog he wanted. To finally be happy.

My phone rang about 10 am to snap me out of my thoughts.

"What's this I hear you and Niko broke up?" Roman asked.

"We didn't break up. Who told you this?"

"Niko himself."

If I had the tears left, I would have cried. The sting of him breaking up with me was more than I could take. I had a panic attack at the thought of me never seeing him again.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"N-no!" I didn't mean to shout at him, but I couldn't control myself.

"I'm coming over. Stay calm until I see you."

I was still holding my phone to my ear when Roman arrived. I was in shock.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I heard his voice, but I couldn't use my voice. The pain has taken over my body.

"I got you this."

The cold bottle touched my hand and I felt my entire body respond to it. It brought me back to myself and I threw myself into Roman's arms. He held me as I cried into his shirt.

"What did he do to you?" His low tone of voice made me raise my head up to him.

"It wasn't anything he did. It's what I did! I blamed him for something. Ja sam takav idiot!"

"Nisi idiot. What did you blame him for?"

"Karen. She went crazy yesterday. She confessed to Niko that she still had feelings for him and she kissed him. We fought because he took her away somewhere. He said he took her back to the agency to have her checked out, but I asked him if he was lying. He got mad and left me."

"I've never known Niko to lie. Why did you say that?"

"Because he was gone for a long time. Ja sam glup. Povredio sam naš odnos kad sam ga optužio!"

I cried again into him. He was typing on his phone to someone. I was too weak to ask him who he was texting.

"You need to apologize to him. He says he's hurt too."

I managed to pry myself off of him and he showed me Niko's reply. His text to Roman said that he needed time away and he was hurt, just like Roman said. His reasoning came next as another reply came while I looked at the phone.

Her blaming me really made me upset that I had to step away before I said something really bad. I can't believe she accused me of fucking Karen when I didn't. I don't love her at all. She thought it was I who wanted the kiss and she told me I didn't do anything to get her off of me.

The messenger on his phone indicated that Niko was typing another message.

I am just so hurt.

I really wanted to snag Roman's phone to call Niko back to pour my heart to him and apologize, but he texted Niko back. I read the text message as he typed it out. He let me read it before he sent it.

She is hurt too, cousin. She is hysterical right now. She needs you to come back. You staying away from her is really making things a lot worse for the both of you. You two need to talk to each other and work it out before it is too late. Every relationship has it's ups and downs, but all you need to do is work through it. Don't continue to be upset with her. I remember how excited you were when you told me you think you met another woman. Remember that feeling again. You two make a great couple and I love it when you two are together. You are happy for once, and not a miserable bastard like you were. Come back home and talk to her.

His text really made me tearful after having calmed down a little. It was about an hour later when he replied back. I knew he was thinking about it and remembering the times we spent together.

I'll think about it.

It didn't give me a yes or no answer.

I know Sharon is with you. Tell her I love her. He replied minutes later.

"So, what are you going to do? Are you two having a cool off period? You can stay at my place if you're going to be here by yourself."

"No. I'm okay. Ethan will be home later this afternoon."

"Where is he?"

"He went to the hospital. He had a heart attack a few days ago. I never saw Niko so upset to lose someone. He was so relieved that my brother was okay."

"I suppose he told you about Marko?"

"He did."

"He was never able to let that go. A lot of things he wasn't able to let go. A lot of shit haunted him, and I could see how it was taking it's toll on him."

"Well, Marko was his brother. And he witnessed him die. One doesn't bounce back from something like that."

"You lost your grandmother, and you are okay."

"Yeah, but Marko was only twelve. And Niko was young himself. He didn't exactly have a shoulder to cry on either. He told me his father told him to suck it up and be a man. Your uncle sounded like a terrible man. He was in a lot of self blame too. He said he felt like he could have done more."

"There is only so much a man can do when trying to save a life."

"I guess when he heard Ethan was going to be okay, he thought it was Marko. He really is damaged, isn't he?"

"You mean was. You are fixing him. I remember the day he came home after the first time he ran into you at the store. You should have heard him. How badly he wanted to meet you again. It was all he talked about. He said, "I think I met the right one." I, of course, told him to go back up there. I did some research on you."

"Reserch?"

"He said he'd been watching you from a distance. He found out your name just by listening and when you used your credit card."

"Why didn't he just ask me what my name was?" I chuckled.

"Believe it or not, he is pretty shy. He didn't want to blow his chance with you if he creeped you out."

"He wouldn't have creeped me out."

"Getting into Niko's head, he thought that. The next few days, we searched your social media page. We found out a little about you. I tell you, you should have seen him. He was head over heels for you. I clicked on one of your photos, and he was blushing uncontrollably. It kinda made me gag."

I slapped him on the arm for his comment. He recoiled and laughed at my reaction.

"We found out your favorite band, and I pretended to like them. The next day, he called me and told me you were back at the store. I guessed you figured it out that I was the one who asked for their CD."

"So, it really wasn't fate that brought us together? It was some sort of set up?"

"I was Niko's wing man. He really wanted you though. He was so happy he got your number, and he was waiting day and night for you to call him."

My phone rang to break up our conversation. I didn't recognize the phone number, but I picked it up just in case it was Ethan. What I got was the agency.

"Is this Mrs. Bellic?" The caller asked.

I pretended for a while that I was.

"This is she. Who is this?"

"We are calling on behalf of Niko Bellic. We tried getting a hold of him, but he's not answering his phone calls."

My worry escalated. I hoped he wasn't drowning his sorrows.

"What did you need him for?"

"We checked out Karen. She had a mental break down. She says she feels better. The psychiatrist prescribed her some anxiety medicine temporarily. At your convenience, would you be able to pick her up? Our agents are busy at the moment. Please bring your identification."

"I guess I could, but I have no car."

Roman waved his hands erratically in front of me.

"On second thought, I do. I can be there in an hour."

I sent Niko a text message on our way out the door, letting him know we were picking up Karen. I hoped he'd respond to me. The agency could not get a hold of him. Roman heard what they said, and he did say Niko must be wasted.

"He's not one to handle relationship problems too well. He almost drank himself to death when he lost Kate. He was in the hospital getting IV fluids." He said, unlocking the passenger door of his Huntley Sport and allowed me inside.

"Has he always been like this?"

He drove off. I directed him around where he needed to go. The traffic was lighter at the 2 pm hour. He weaved in and out of a small cluster of traffic.

"Being a cab driver gives you these impatient driving skills." He said as he got stuck behind an elderly woman. He continued on with the topic at hand. "He drinks to escape his pain. He suffered a lot."

"I just wish he didn't."

"Niko is a big boy. He knows what he is doing."

"Apparently he doesn't if he almost died from drinking!" I wanted to take back my words and try again and not shout. I started to beg for forgiveness, but he held his hand up.

"Don't worry about it."

Karen was standing outside the office with a man next to her. She was smoking as she waited. I wondered what sort of medication she was on. She was totally calm on the outside, but I was certain she was still in a mixture of emotions. I made a mental note to keep her at the minimum of five feet away from Niko.

The man met us at the curb. He opened the door to Roman's car to let Karen inside. There was a bottle of pills in his hand.

"These are for Karen. It is something to keep her anxiety down. She is not supposed to get worked up at all. Keep her calm, and do not allow her to drink alcohol while on these pills." He instructed me.

Upon hearing all the precautions and directions, Roman drove us back home. I kept quiet on the way home. I wanted answers. But I was supposed to keep her calm. Another eruption of anger would send her into another breakdown for sure. And the topic at hand was her all over Niko. I was also sure that when he came home, she'd be breaking down little by little. It was best to make sure he came home while she slept.

Roman got us home, but he didn't leave right away. Ethan still wasn't home yet, and he wanted to ensure Karen didn't flip her top and attack me. There was something on his mind as well.

"I think it is time for Niko and you to get back together. And it seems like I am going to play wing man again." He said as Karen retired herself into her bedroom.

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

His plan sounded simple as he explained it to me. It was another plan to get Niko and I to atleast talk to each other. He was too stubborn, and I was still nervous. Nervous because I never wanted him to be mad at me. Nervous on what he would say. Nervous that if I made the attempt to talk to him, he'd stay away longer. It seemed childish in a way, but Niko was set in his ways. If he and I were to talk to each other again, it would be Roman who would be the one to do so. I guess he had a way to get arguing couples to get together and apologize. If he managed to do this, Roman should look into being a relationship counselor or a marriage counselor.

Once Ethan was discharged from the hospital around 4 pm, I went to go get him. Roman was to watch Karen. He gave me his keys to his Huntley Sport, made me promise I'd treat his baby well and not get into an accident, and I was off.

I searched my way through the hallways. I had to park in a different lot with the lack of parking. Visiting hours must be very busy around this time after work. I eventually found the receptionist who helped me last time in locating Ethan. She said he was almost ready. They were getting him packed up and giving him a few prescriptions for him to take.

I entered, and he was getting instructions from the doctor.

"Are you sure you have no questions for me?"

"I can't think of any."

The doctor handed him his personal business card and shook his hand.

"If you think of any later, call me at this extension. I will be happy to answer them."

Ethan saw me standing near his hospitality bag filled with various items from the hospital. Toothbrush, toothpaste, gauze, wraps...the like.

"I am glad to see you standing." I say as I hugged him.

"I'm glad you showed and gave me patience and forgiveness. I am sorry I was such a pain."

We both explained to each other how sorry we both were as we made our way back to the Huntley. Myself being sorry for not doing more to try to save him. I knew CPR, but I was so shaken from his lifeless body. Niko took total control of the resuscitation process. My brother feeling sorry for allowing himself to stumble back in his recovery process.

Roman called when we were about half way home. His plan was to get Niko to go to the grocery store with him to get things for Mila. He said there'd be no way Niko would ever turn down providing for her and Niko was basically puddy in her tiny fingers. Roman said he agreed. Next, I was to go up to the store, leaving Ethan to keep Karen safe, and most of all, calm. It seemed foolproof.

He dropped me off at Niko's old apartment to pick up my Merit. It fortunately had nothing stolen from it. Having my car around instead of just having Karen's Calvacade gave Niko and I more freedom. I drove the rest of the way alone to the store. Roman found out where Niko was hiding after he promised him he wouldn't tell me where he was. Roman wasn't too quiet as to where he was. He called me as I was parking far back in the lot so Niko didn't see my car. Niko was laying low at his friend's apartment for a few days. A man called Little Jacob. Roman told me the man liked to smoke pot a lot, but he cut down after he heeded Niko's warning a long time ago to cut back a little. It gave him paranoia one day, and he went after his friend called, "Real Badman". The two men attacked each other and went their seperate ways. Niko warned Jacob that one day it would happen after Jacob mentioned it. Months later, after living on the streets, Jacob rented an apartment a few blocks away from Niko's old apartment.

I waited in the lot until I saw the blue Huntley pull in. I texted him, letting him know I saw him.

Wait for my signal to come in. I want him a little distracted so he doesn't completely know what's going on. I think he has a clue, but I played it off like he was crazy. Meet me by the electronic section when I say it's okay.

He had it down, I gotta give him that. He must have been planning this all day.

Is it okay to meet you there, yet?

I message him after twenty minutes or so. I was getting impatient just wanting to see him.

Yeah. Come on in. He's looking for diapers. I am at the electronic section. I'll text him to meet me here too. Hurry.

My legs showed me the definition of speed as I ran through the lot. In the back of the store stood Roman holding the CD I wanted. My favorite band released another album I wanted to get my hands on, but with everything happening, I never got the chance to get it.

"Stand on the other side of the aisle. He told me he was coming back here. I think he knows you're here."

"Shit." I said as I rounded the corner. I tried to pretend I was looking at a CD. I didn't even know the band name.

"Roman. What are you doing? I thought we were shopping for Mila? You're over here looking at music."

"I wanted their new CD. Maybe you should get one for Sharon." He held the case up, letting him read the band name again.

"I don't think so." He said and called to me, "Why would I need to buy her two copies?"

Crap! He knew all along I was nearby. I flushed myself out and met him by Roman.

"What are you doing here?" He seemed annoyed.

"I just wanted to see you." My eyes stung with tears when I remembered what kept him from me.

"Let's not do this here. Let's go home and talk." He held my shoulders when I looked to the floor to hide my sorrow.

We never needed to get anything in the first place as we all walked out. Niko followed me to my car not saying a word. I wanted to spill my guts to him and offer a thousand apologies, but I did as he wished and waited until we got home. I told him Karen was back home and we needed to be quiet so we wouldn't get her upset.

Roman went his own way home, saying he didn't want to see the water works and fluffy smoochy display. Besides, he had a little girl to get back to who behaved better than we did at times.

We sat down at the kitchenette. I showed my emotions and did nothing to stop myself from offering sobbing apologies to him. I did my best to keep quiet. His shushing came next. He told me it wasn't necessary to feel sorry anymore. He accepted my apology a while ago.

"I just wanted to be away for a while. I was planning on coming back to you tomorrow, but this whole scheme with Roman quickened my plans."

"I really didn't have anything to do with his plan. I guess he wanted us to get back together. Roman said you broke up with me and I lost it."

He chuckled a little for a strange reason.

"He has a knack for twisting stories. He over exaggerates stories. I didn't break up with you. I said I needed time away. I need to get back at him for making you panic, but for now, I think we need each other."

He looked at me for my reaction. I wasn't sure if his statement gave me his consent to touch him. If I moved to him, I thought I'd meet with his barrier. His sudden movement after I didn't move a muscle alarmed me. I hoped he wasn't avoiding me still. He stood over me as I remained in my chair. His eyes connected with mine and gave me a smile. A slow single tear trailed dowm my cheek as I smiled back.

"Let's go into our room. I have something I need to show you."

His hand extended to me and I took it. His skin alone ignited a feeling of exhilaration. I knew what he wanted because it was what I wanted. After he lead me inside, he thumbed the lock to allow us privacy. What he did next was not what I thought he was going to do.

"Wait here."

I stood in the middle of the bedroom while he rummaged through the drawers. He sent pants and shirts flying in random directions in search of the mystery item. He pulled a jewlery box out. It was different from the wedding ring box I knew he kept in the top dresser drawer. This box was longer. Which stored necklaces and bracelets.

He presented me with the black box and I slowly opened it. The box was visably dated and has seen better times. What the box held was a white gold necklace with a lime green jewel shaped into a heart. The necklace looked tarnished and the peridot had a small chip on the side.

"This is beautiful." I said as I held the old necklace in the air.

He smiled, and took the delicate trinket from me. He asked me to turn away from him and brought the necklace around my neck.

"It looks more beautiful around your neck." He said as he kissed me multiple times on my neck.

I started to flutter at his touch. His lips were warm, and my mind flodded with desire.

"What's the occasion?" I asked.

"I know your birthday is in August. So was my mother's. She'd want you to have this. She'd love you."

I almost cried at his words. It was hard to describe my feelings.

"I'd hate to ask, but is she still alive?"

He lightly sighed. "No. She died last May. It was so difficult. I really wanted to be there for her on her dying days, but I couldn't make it there. She died a day after I arrived home. I was crushed. I could tell she waited for me to come home, but she couldn't hold on amymore. She was burried next to my father. As much as he was a bastard of a father, she still loved him." He thought hard on his next words. For a moment, I thought he was going to cry. "I want to go see her soon after all this is done."

"I'd be by your side when you're ready to go."

"Thank you."

The rest of the evening was spent with whispers and light laughter. We were slowly repairing what was broken between us. I kept thinking what Roman told me. I was fixing him. He was indeed damaged. I was the right person to help him off the ground.


	29. Chapter 28

Trying something new. In the sort of middle of the chapter, I will be switching POVs indicated by the break of the chapter and a note that will tell you. I figured the story was getting a little stale being in my POV (yeah, that's right, I am the Sharon in this story) *muahahahahahahaha*

So, here we go. And please! Please let me know if it works. If not, I will think of other ideas to keep my readers enthralled!

Hvala vam! (Thank you)

Chapter 28

"Trialling times"

The court trial came faster than any of us thought possible. Karen had been ready and waiting for Niko. Ethan again stayed home. He was to focus on recovering from his heart attack. I really wanted to go with Niko and Karen to continue to show my support for him, but to also make sure she kept her hands off of him. Niko ensured me when she left to start the Calvacade that she wasn't going to even lay a finger on him. He seemed confident in his claim.

"If she touches me, I'll knock her out." He said as he threw on his tuxedo jacket. "Srećan rođendan by the way."

"Aw. Thank you." I gushed.

I watched him button a few, leaving the white longsleeve undershirt exposed at his chest. He blew a kiss to me. I knew I'd rip that tuxedo off of him if we met in a kiss.

He was gone again. Ethan and I were alone. I was sort of responsible for keeping Ethan calm and to make sure he didn't overexert himself. It was 9:30 in the morning and I tried to prepare us breakfast. To prevent the kitchen going up in flames, I made us cereal. I wasn't kitchen savvy in the slightest. And I wasn't afraid to tell others either.

After breakfast, I put on some calming music while he sat on the couch. He insisted that he wanted to help me clean, but I wouldn't even allow him to dust. I wanted him to rest.

"I can help you with something." He protested from the sofa.

"I can't have you doing things you can't handle. If your blood pressure gets too high, you could damage yourself. I wamt to make sure the doctor says it's okay for you to do more things."

"He didn't give me restrictions."

"But he said to keep calm. That's a restriction. Just relax for a few days."

He didn't like my decision, judging on how he slouched in the sofa. People could argue that I was being too strict, but I didn't play around.

(Niko's POV)

Karen and I arrived at the courthouse with time to spare again. She was one of those people who preferred to be a little early. We used our time to discuss our trial again. It was if she wanted me to robitically repeat my lines. I wasn't one to follow in uniform.

"What do you say if the attorney asks you what you did for a living? And do not say you were a hired gun."

I hated when she reminded me. I knew what I was to say.

"I was a vigilante with the interest of community saftey." I had a dead tone as I sighed my answer.

"Good. What will you say when you are asked why it took you so long to become legal?"

I stopped in the hallway and sighed heavily, putting my hands acrossed my chest. I was really annoyed now. She was treating me like a child.

"For fucks sakes, Karen. We've been over this atleast one hundred times. I know what to say!" I whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

"What will you say when they ask you why it took you so long?" She repeated herself not hearing my annoyance.

I continued on without her, but she caught my jacket as I tried to walk by her. I leered at her as a warning for her to let go of me.

"Answer the question, Niko."

"What will I say? Well, maybe I'll just say it was to not be a cunt like you." I snapped.

She surprisingly didn't hit me. She moved on without me saying nothing. I shook my head and followed her into the court room. We had another ten minutes until we started. I organized all my papers and made sure I had everything I needed. The familiar twist of nervousness came back before we started. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I silently swore. I forgot to leave it with Sharon.

Good luck today! Remember why you're doing this, and you'll do fine.

I felt a little better reading her text. I still felt a mixture of confidence and uneasiness. All my years of going into a gunfight and I felt nothing. I still wasn't prepared for this. Even during the first day, I felt the same way. I was to answer for my crimes. And it was possible the trial could go against me.

As if like clockwork, the jury filed in the booth. Organization and simultaneous marching footfalls as they made their way to their seats. My palms were getting sweaty as I watched the do no evil jury was judging me again. I could see it in their eyes. They spoke, wondering why I took such a long delay. A few even leaned into one another and whispered to each other. Questioning why I had a few bandages on my head and a few on my hands. I tried to mute the voices as I looked over to the American flag that stood next to the judges seat. It was at that moment that all seemed to become silent.

"All rise for the Honorable judge Johnson."

My attention snapped to the man as he made his way to his seat. We all stood when asked to, and sat when the judge told is to.

"The case of Mr. Bellic vs the state of Liberty City is now in session."

The judge remained silent as he looked through documents. The first testimony was called up. It was Kiki. She was examined and crossed examined within the hour and she reamined true to the story. From time to time as she was being crossed examined, she stole a couple of looks at me. I made no indication I acknowledged her. It might give away slight hints that the jury would see.

The next testimony was Brucie. I prayed he didn't say anything stupid, and I hoped he wasn't unnecessarily loud as he gave his story. I was let down as he took the oath.

"Of course I wouldn't lie under oath!" His voice rung in everyone's ears, I was sure.

"Sir, you don't need to speak that loud." Judge Johnson told him. I guessed the first time he was loud, they let it slide.

His cross examination came after a while of being questioned.

"For the records, Mr. Kibbutz, how do you know Mr. Bellic?" The defence attorney paced back and forth before Brucie as he sat.

"Me and Nicky? We know each other through his cousin. He introduced us weeks after Niko came here."

"And what sort of work did you provide Mr. Bellic in order for him to get paid?"

"I had him gather broken down cars and he brought them to my shop."

"But you specialize in auto sales. Correct?"

"You got that right. The sweetest rides Liberty City has to offer!"

"Mr. Kibbutz, this isn't a commercial. Please stay within the questions." Judge Johnson asked.

"Sorry, your Honor. It's an old habit."

"Thank you, your Honor. So, why would you be interested in old broken down cars?"

"I tried to fix them up again. Whatever was wrong with them, I fixed and sold them. The ones I couldn't fix were sent to the junk yard."

"So, you sold broken down cars with stolen parts?"

"They weren't stolen, man. They were purchased. I am a major motor head, and if it was an easy fix, I sold them."

"These cars were stolen then?"

"I didn't say that, man. These cars were abandoned. The police contacted us to get them."

"Then you have these police ordered towings, I assume?" He looked at me and Brucie, directing the question to both of us.

I sifted through my folder and found the documents in question and handed them to the judge. He lowered his glasses almost to the tip of his nose as he read the police documents. I knew those were fake, conjured up by Karen's employers. It was to make it look like I didn't steal the cars for Brucie for his chop shop.

"These papers state every tow done by Mr. Bellic from the months of February to May. Were there any other tows you did, Mr. Bellic?"

"No, your Honor. I only did those tows."

"May I ask why you stopped working for Mr. Kibbutz?"

"I worked for my cousin at night at his cab depot. I towed cars during the day. I was overwhelmed at the time, your Honor. I wanted to stop working for Mr. Kibbutz."

"How was he able to hire you without legal status, Mr. Bellic?"

That was a question Karen prepared me for. One of the blindsided questions. I knew it would pop up, and I was prepared for it.

"I was able to get paid under the table. I was working to become legal, but in this country, you need money to do anything. I wasn't able to buy a car, buy a home. I wasn't even able to buy a coffee if I had no income."

He seemed satisfied with my answer. The jury murmured amongst each other and the judge called order to the court.

"I was oppressed here in America. Even my cousin had it hard when he came here. He had to borrow money, and he was threatened almost daily. I had to step in and help him pay off some of his debt. I had to sort out his problems before I handled myself."

"How much was your cousin in debt? Why was he being threatened?"

"He was thousands in debt. His cab business wasn't getting him much money. I took two jobs at the time to help him pay. He was being harassed by people who loaned him money."

"Sounds like loan sharks. Did your cousin deal with loan sharks?"

"No. It was, at the time, his friends. He no longer associates with them."

"And why is that, Mr. Bellic?"

"I saw to it that they didn't bother him again."

"What did you do?"

"For once, I paid his debts. And, how he was threatened, I threatened them back."

"Objection, your Honor. He is badgering Mr. Bellic. He isn't even on the stand." My attorney interrupted.

"It's alright. He has questions, I have answers. I have nothing to hide."

"May we remind you, Mr. Bellic, you are under oath. Even though you aren't in the stand, you're under oath as soon as you enter this building."

"Your point being?"

"All the men your cousin owed money to turned up dead. You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"

"A few I killed. The others were not my doing."

I think Karen made a sigh of irritation. I heard her next to me.

"And why did you kill those men?"

"May I ask you call Mr. Bellic to the stand before you continue to examine him, Mr. Wilson?"

"By your request, your Honor." He gestured Brucie off the stand and asked me to take his place. I swore under oath that I wouldn't lie like usual and my interrogation began.

"So, Mr. Bellic. Please tell the jury your story."

"As I've said, my cousin was in debt to his friends. Thousands of American dollars. He borrowed money for his depot, rent, paying for cab repairs."

"What were his friends source of income that they were able to loan him so much money?"

"A few men made their money illegally."

This had the attention of everyone in the court.

"How was it illegal?"

"They were hired hitmen. They killed men, women, and children at the contractor's digression. Whoever had a contract on them, these men were to kill them, collect the money afterwards, and it was loaned to my cousin. I did the community a favor by erasing these scum. I know for a fact the police of this city wouldn't have done a thing about it."

Gasps came from the room and whispers and mutterings of disbelief at my bold statement.

"Order. Order!" Judge Johnson banged his gavel.

"That's a rather accusatory statement, Mr. Bellic. Care to explain your comment?" He turned to me.

I hooked up my phone to the projector provided within the room and showed the judge the video of the man who robbed the bank and killed the young mother and child I witnessed. The officer was shown taking the bribe from the robber in the alleyway when he was confronted. Again, the audience and jury made comments to each other as the video played on the white screens behind the judge.

"This is gross behavior. But this doesn't excuse you to take the lives of these friends your cousin associated with, Mr. Bellic."

"This is true, your Honor. I made horrible mistakes. I look back on all that, and I realized I was stupid. But I couldn't let anything else happen to my cousin. If I hadn't, I was fearful that these men would kill my cousin. These officers gave me the wrong idea of this country. And in all honesty, your Honor, if I didn't kill these men, think of the other innocent people these hitmen would have made money off of. I eliminated bad people, and in return, the city was safer."

It went silent for longer than I even cared for. I hoped my story swayed the jury that it was in the best interest that these people were killed by me rather than being supported by the tax payers in jail.

Finally, the judge spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Mr. Bellic, your story not only gave me the idea that this city has let you down, but this country let you down. America believes justice for all, and this gross abuse of power by the authorities has given you the wrong idea of this country. From the people of America, we extend our apology to you."

"The people have nothing to apologize for."

I was asked to step down from the stand. The cross examination was over and other testimonies were called up. Patrick McReary, Dwane Forge, Carmen Ortiz, and Jacob Huges. His testimony took the longest because the Rastafarian was barely understood and was often asked to repeat himself slowly.

The judge called for everyone's attention asking if any other questions needed to be asked before we were dismissed for lunch. Both sides had no further questions. It was around 3 when we were set out for a break. Five hours of questioning and stories from everyone, and that's just the people on my side. Who knows who they have to testify against me. All I know is that the woman who lied to the court was no longer in this. They probably found others to go against me.

I found the waiting room and sat down hard on the chair. Karen came in and verbally attached me again. I was in no mood for her bullshit.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Why did you confess to killing those men? Do you think before you speak?!"

"Shut the fuck up, Karen. You know as well as I do that those questions were not included in the story. What was I going to say? I think I handled myself rather well."

"The jury is in there now talking to each other saying they don't think you should be here. They are saying you should be in jail! You fucked yourself!"

"There's still a second half to this trial. Wait for the very end. Then you'll see."

"The end is coming near. It seems they've made a decision already! They might not even need an opposing side."

"You forget that their side lied! If I lied, I'd really fucked myself."

"Well, you won't have to fuck youself when you go to prison. There will be a bunch of prison Mary's that will fuck you."

"Go get fucked yourself, Karen. I have the judge's favor."

"It's not the judge you need the favor of. It's the jury!"

I stood before her and she made herself taller as I stared her down. I really hoped I didn't have to see her again after this.

"I'll let it go to the very end before I give up. You seem to think this is over. I'll wait for the opposition to talk before I throw this out."

"You're done before you started."

Before I could say more, she spun on her heels and left me alone. I was too angry to even eat anything. I really needed to hear Sharon right now.

I didn't make myself wait any longer and I dialed her number. It rang a few times and went to her voice mail. I hated leaving voice mails, but I left one with desperation in my voice so she can call me back quicker. I still had another thirty minutes before I had to go back. I stared at my phone, hoping she'd call me.

Hey. Are you on a lunch? I can't call you right now. I am doing some cleaning, and I am preparing dinner for you. It's a surprise! I'll see you when you come home. Sorry, I can't call you.

I could hear the franticness in her text. Just reading her message made me smile. I could see her with ten different things going on and Ethan begging her if he could help. He's not one to sit idly by with someone darting around the house.

It's alright. Just wanting to talk to you. I'll wait to tell you what's going on when I get home.

I thought the cliff hanger would have her call me out of curiosity, but the half hour went by quickly and I was asked by Karen to meet her in the courtroom. Everyone was inside already. Light comments came from around the room at my entry. I had my folder ready to be used if the opposition was called.

"Before we begin, do we have any questions about the events that transpired within the first hours of this session?" Judge Johnson asked.

"Nothing here, your Honor." Mr. Wilson said.

"Nothing, Sir."

"I have nothing, your Honor." I said.

"Just know that we are ready to proceed in this case."

We all nodded and prepared ourselves for the opposing arguments.

"I'd like to call to the stand, Miss Natasha Rascalov."

I felt blood drain from my body. This was Dimitri's daughter from the looks of her. I prepared myself for the past that caught up with me.

"Miss Rascalov, do you mind telling the court how you know Mr. Bellic?"

"I had the displeasure of knowing him. He is responsible for my father's death. I was only five years old when I found out he was killed."

"And did you know Mr. Bellic was still in the country?"

"No. I thought he was killed himself. I was hoping all the horrible deeds he's done caught up to him."

She began to cry, and I only rolled my eyes. It had to have been a show. As far as I knew, Dmitri had no family of his own. He was too busy making a name for himself, snaking around while stabbing people in the back and selling out everyone he knew.

Natasha was handed a tissue and continued on.

"If there is any true justice in this country, you'd put Mr. Bellic in prison." She held the tissue over her eyes.

I felt like throwing my arguments out before I was condemned further. Karen held my arm down and shook her head when I looked at her.

"What?" I mouthed.

"She's not his daughter." She silently said.

My eyes darted over to her and examined her face. There was no way I could see if she was his daughter. Only a DNA test would support that.

I looked back at Karen, who was tapping on a file folder. I couldn't tell what was in it, but I hoped it was evidence that would get the court to be swayed my way.

The opposing testimonials carried us all the way to seven at night. The judge asked this trial to be put on hold until tomorrow. It was going to be another long day tomorrow as well with cross examinations to the opposite side. I gathered all my documents together to meet Karen outside. She left before I did to meet up with someone. She was in there for a good half hour as I sat in the Calvacade listening to music to pass the time. I was burned out from the long day and all I wanted was to fall asleep.

I heard the door shut and Karen took a long drag from her cigarette.

"You know, the opposition is really desperate." The smoke came from her mouth as she spoke.

"How so?"

"They are paying actors and actresses to pose as family members of those you killed."

"How do you know?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"We need to wait our turn to cross examine them. We'd be held in contempt of court if we outbursted. You need to have more patience."

She made our way back home, but she stopped at a convenient store for more cigarettes. I waited in the Calvacade while she made her purchase.

We're on our way home. Are you guys still awake?

Karen hopped back in the Calvacade and continued home.

"You know, I thought you were going to stop smoking."

She lit up another as I spoke to her. I could see the stress etched on her face when the street lamps and traffic lights lit her up as we drove by. She was contemplating on how to approach the next day of the trial. I was wondering as well.

"I was going to stop after this trial. It is stressing me out."

"You?! How do you think I feel?"

"I know how you feel. I want you to be legal, Niko. We've been friends for a long time."

My phone beeped and I read over the message as she waited at a stop light.

We're awake. Your dinner and surprise are waiting for you. ;)

Personally, I hated using text messaging. I preferred face to face communication. I loved it when she messaged me. Her excitement was clear when she did. I cracked a smile when I read it.

I burst through the door around 8:15. Her face lit up and I felt myself have that familiar and welcomed pulse of joy all over my body. Even when she approached me from the kitchen, I got more excited. I really missed her.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down for a long overdue kiss. The taste of her drove me crazy. I wanted more of her, but she broke apart. She lead me to the table and asked me to sit down. Her hair bounced as she hopped away to retrieve something from the refrigerator. She was extremely happy for some reason, and I don't know why. As slong as she was, who was I to question? A long cooking pan was put in the oven and she turned the dial to warm up whatever it was. Her eyes locked with mine when she sat by me. I felt myself getting warm under the collar, and other places, as she talked with me about her day. I sat there, thinking this is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.

"So, how was your day in court? Acutally, I probably should have asked you how your day was before I told you mine."

"That's alright. Court was boring as usual."

I began to smell something that reminded me of home after a while. It made me think of my mother, and the farm, and just the feeling of comfort. I took a few more smells and she smiled at me.

"I made Sarma...Sarmma? Did I say it right?"

I nodded. "You said it right the first time."

"Anyway. Ethan and I went shopping at the European Market today. But that's not your surprise." She grinned at me and had my curiosity well above peaked.

"Oh? What did you get?"

"Well, it's more for us. You'll see what it is later."

She and I talked for a short while before she stood to bring her cooking over. I was actually shocked to see the kitchen wasn't a mess. And when she placed the Sarma in front of me, my stomach growled. The smell was enough to make me start eating immediately without second guessing the flavor.

"How is it?" She asked when I was just about finished.

"Very good. It reminds me of home." I nodded my appreciation.

"You mean it?" Her pride swelled over her.

"Yes. This was very nice of you to do this for me. You made my difficult day that much better."

"It's too bad it was short lived."

"Even if it was only five minutes, you made me feel like I am not totally exhausted."

She smiled at me and I knew I just made her day. She wasn't afraid to admit she couldn't cook, but this time, I could see she really wanted to get it right.

After dinner, she lead me into the bedroom. She didn't hide her excitement at all. On the way into the room, she told me Ethan had turned in early. He was really tired from being in the hospital and from his sleep test. Those few days he was in there, he didn't get much sleep. They had dinner around five because of it.

I was asked to sit on the foot of the bed and she disappeared into the bathroom. I leaned over to the right to see what the hell she was looking for. It wasn't long when she came out of the bathroom with a long box that looked like a shoe box. I couldn't figure out what was so exciting about a shoe box. It must be a woman thing. She grinned at me, asking me to open the box. My eyes widened as I pulled out a sex toy and some warming lubricant.

"It's for both of us. I went to the sex shop after going to the European Market. I wanted to get it and the lube. The man said this sex toy was one of the best rated by women, and the lube is supposed to increase arousal and release."

I chuckled at her. "It's like we don't have explosive orgasms together at all." I said full of sarcasm.

"Well, now we'll be able to have planet shattering orgasms. Don't you like my gift?"

"I do. But it's your birthday. I should have gotten you something."

She scoffed and began taking off my tuxedo jacket. I was burning up in more ways than one with that on. The chill from the air conditioning raised goosebumps over my body. She laid me flat on my back and danced seductively over me. I was being taken over by her movements. My arms went around her body, surrounding her in my embrace. I couldn't wait to use that lubricant, and I could tell she couldn't either. But I wanted to build up to our love making to give us more of a stronger release. Just in case the lubricant didn't live up to its name.

She undid my fly but didn't release me from my confinement. It was getting way too tight in there. I watched as she threw her arms over her head and displayed her chest. I stared wide eyed at her as she tantalized me. Her movements were way better than any stripper could ever hope to achieve.

Her shirt went to the floor. She was wearing my favorite bra. The one that had little beads on it. They reflected the light, making her breasts my main focus. Her body snaked over mine and I really wanted to feel her soft skin, the curves of her hips, and her warmth. I decided to allow her to tease me more. I was already building up lust.

"What's the matter, Niko? Don't you want to touch me?" She asked after a few moments of her rubbing on me.

"Oh, I do." I breathed heavily. "I just want to watch you. I love looking at you."

"Bullshit." She laughed. "I see you sweating. You want me bad." She moaned.

Her hands groped her breasts and I just about lost it. My heart was pounding in my chest. She pursed her lips as she air kissed over me.

"You are so beautiful. I can't get enough of you."

She giggled and lowered her upper half closer to my face, kissing along my chest, and eventually meeting me in a euphoric kiss. I felt my eyes roll back as my eyes closed. Her tongue coated mine as she took control of it. I felt her hands move down my chest, fiddling with the buttons.

"I want to feel you, baby." She whispered in my ear when the kiss broke.

My hands ripped open my shirt. The buttons scattering all over the bed. I couldn't handle it anymore. The clothes were preventing us from fully enjoying each other. Her feminine fingers raked along my chest. My chest hairs being pulled along her touch.

"I want you to fuck me so bad."

Her words made my body move without thinking. My hands found her hips and I flipped her on her back. She squealed at my sudden choice.

"You're in for it now." I mock warned.

"Try me." She grinned at me.

I ripped off her shorts and my hand went down her panties to tease her. The panties matched her bra I noticed, and I commented on how she never needed to wear flashy undergarments to look beautiful. From under me, her hands explored my body. She was looking for something, and I found out when she undid my buckle and my button. She was determined to set me free.

"Hold on, Sharon. I'm in no rush to finish."

"I can't wait!"

Instead of answering her begging for my penis, I tried to take the edge off. My hands removed her panties completely to taste her. I parted her legs wide open and she whimpered. Her moist pelt aroused me as I felt a surge of arousal. I almost acted on my impulse again, but this time I couldn't surpress it. My thumbs lightly ran along her lips. Her moan came next and her hands gripped the blanket.

"I can't wait either, Sharon."

I freed myself of my trousers and displayed my hunger for her. Her head lifted off the bed to see how ready I was. The lubricant was used liberally and I slid inside her. We completely ignored the fact that she purchased a vibrator with the intention of using it. Neither of us could handle being teased anymore. Grunts of bliss came from under me that matched my thrusting. Her beautiful body rocked with each thrust as well, moving her breasts with the motions. Her belly had shock waves. It was delighting me seeing her meeting me for every movement. The bed creaked, as I lowered myself to her for a kiss. She and I moaned together, making sweet music.

"Niko!" She whined after our kiss.

My response was to lift her leg under her knee to get better access. I changed my movements by going deeper into her and at an angle to increase her pleasure. To my surprise, she began to play with herself and she shook from the sudden teasing. We made our way past the foreplay and we were on the fast track to our release. Moments later, after I pinned her down on her belly and pleased her from behind, we both came together. I collapsed on top of her and placed my head on her back while we recovered.

"So, we didn't even need the sex toy, did we?" She asked after a few minutes.

"Nope." I said still recovering.

I decided to roll off of her to allow her to breathe freely. The first thing she did was roll over on my chest. Something I really adored her doing. The women I've been with who did this didn't seem to make me feel wanted. I can't explain it at all on how she made me feel the way I feel. She cooed against me. I took a deep breath and played with her hair for a bit. She recovered a lot faster than I did. I must be getting too old.

"So, are you ready for the trial tomorrow? I seem to miss out on everything now."

I sighed again. "I'll be ready when the time comes. I don't even want to think about it right now."

"That bad?"

"No. It was...how can I explain it?"

I thought for a moment. The feeling I had that the opposition hired people to pose as my victim's family just to gain the jury's favor was hard to describe. It made me feel like the whole country didn't want me here. Almost like I wasn't important. Like I didn't matter. I was cast aside. Unliked, no friends, betrayed.

"It hurt."

She lifted her head to look at me. The look of anger was etched across my face as my eyebrows lowered the more I thought about it.

"Hurt how?"

"They are doing desperate actions."

"Like what? It's not Karen, is it?"

"No. It's the opposing side. Somebody somewhere out there doesn't want me legal. But they forget that I have an awesome team who will help me. And the American government if that's not enough."

"What are they saying?"

"It's their side. They hired people to act as the victim's family. Karen knows for a fact that the one lady they examined isn't who she said she is. The DNA testing will prove it tomorrow. And the other one who lied to the court the first time was stricken from the trial. They bought people. I feel like someone is double crossing me. And I have to admit, it makes me feel like I am not worthy of anyone's time. Like I'm just another worthless immigrant who doesn't have a story. A nameless man."

I dumped my feelings in her lap as she continued to comfort me. I could tell she thought I was just thinking that.

"You are not nameless. You are Niko Bellic. A man who has everything to prove. And you'll give them Hell in court tomorrow. And the DNA test will prove that that person is a piece of shit for stopping you from being legal."

Her arm reached across my body to set the alarm for six in the morning.

"I know, but if I hadn't known Karen, think of how difficult it would be for me to prove they were lying. And think if I became legal, how many people would just spit on my name."

"Don't give a shit about them, Niko. Seriously. You have every right to be here. Even though you came here illegally and did illegal things, you belong here. You can change, and most Americans believe in giving second chances. No matter what you did. And as for knowing Karen and how difficult it would be without her, think of how lucky you are in getting this second chance. You have a new reason for life. You have me, you have Roman and Mallorie, you have Ethan. Use this second chance to the fullest."

Her words nailed straight through me. She was right. I was given many chances in my life to do things right, but I never used it. I looked at her with a ferocity to make love to her again to thank her for making me see things more clearly. I was too tired from the first time and from the damn trial, that I settled with kissing her passionately.

"You'll knock 'em dead tomorrow." She said, caressing my cheek with the back of her hand.

I chuckled at the irony of her comment and rolled over to drift off asleep. The only thing I remember was Sharon wrapping her arms around me to keep me strengthened to start the morning right.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 28

"Double crossing the double crossers"

The alarm went off and scared me awake. Niko was already in the bathroom preparing himself again for another long day in court. What he told me yesterday night about the opposition hiring people to pose as other people made me furious. But as long as Niko said Karen had documents to prove the claims wrong, it would make it a little easier to handle. I hoped this would be the thing that turns this court session to his favor. And it remains that way.

Ethan woke up early as well. I overheard him asking Karen for money again. It's like she is wearing the pants in that relationship. Karen does like to dominate. The thoughts streamed into my brain, having thought of that way too long.

I sat up in bed to scope around who was awake. Who I saw was Ethan, shuffling his way to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I was going to scold him later about him drinking that caffeine.

"Hey, do you want to come up to the courthouse this time?" Niko asked when he came from the bathroom. I felt the steam as the door opened.

"I really want to, but I want to watch Ethan."

"I understand. I'll call you when we take a lunch. There should be much to talk about." He said as he sprayed a little cologne on his chest.

Great. Now this room smells like him, and he's going to be gone all day maybe. I guess I'll be using that vibrator after all.

"Wish me luck." He turned to the bed.

"You're leaving early? You didn't even eat breakfast."

"I am really excited for some reason. I want to go early."

"Karen's not even ready." Ethan said from behind him. "She's in the shower. You might as well eat something." He spooned himself a mouthful of cereal.

"Alright. Fine."

I made myself get out of bed to join him. We shared a cup of coffee together and I made parfaits for us. It was something simple, and he really enjoyed it. I kept telling him he can do this day to keep his morale up.

Karen soon came out of the bedroom, gathering Niko's folders in her arm and prodded him to come along. It was only 7:30 in the morning. I told her the trial didn't start until 10. She explained to me that being early is beneficial. And that traffic could be a mess. I agreed with her.

Niko's eyes met with mine. They held a sincerity as he held my hand. It felt like it was the last time we were going to be able to hold each other the way he looked at me.

"You'll do fine." I said.

"It's not that. I just want to be able to hold you without being pulled away everytime."

My free hand ran along his face. He tilted his head and closed his eyes as if he was cherishing my skin. It was times like this that I wish I could read his mind.

"We will. You keep saying we will be one after this. Keep believing that as you go through this day. You said you have a good feeling about this day. Keep that feeling too."

"I will. Volim te. I will see you later."

"Volim te, Niko."

He leaned over to me to kiss my forehead. I wanted to kiss him on the lips badly, but we both know it will lead to more. And there was no time. Karen continued to pry Niko from the table with her words. He swatted his hands acknowledging that he was coming, but it irritated her.

"Sometime today!" She snapped.

He did stand up once he knew she was not playing around. They vanished, and I was left with Ethan again, who was currently in the bathroom washing up for the day. I wondered what he had borrowed money from Karen for? We had Roman who was more than willing to help us in whatever we needed. Then again, he one day might not be available when we need something, so I guess keeping some cash available for emergency was smart.

(Niko's POV)

Karen was driving quite recklessly through traffic. It was something I never expected. When we dated all those years ago, she always commented about my driving. I wasn't safe enough, or I was speeding when I was barely going 5 miles per hour over, or I didn't use my turn signal, or whatever came to her mind. She was a typical back seat driver, and now here she is, going past stop signs, traffic signals, speeding, taking hard turns, not using her signal. The craziness I was used to though. I never said a word.

The court house had almost doubled with supporters in my case. We drove by the people slowly as they flooded the streets with banners. Their "peaceful protest" was turning into more of a violent circus. The police were working overtime in subduing a few women who got out of hand when we drove by. The windows were thankfully tinted, so we were able to slip by without being seen.

The back lot had more cars in it than the first time. Karen assured me that she recognized a few cars and it was a good thing.

"These are some of my contacts. They have more documents for us." She said as she stomped out her third cigarette since we left.

I began to worry a little at her increased smoking. True, she was a complete bitch, but we were still friends. Somewhat.

She met up with her contacts and she was handed another folder. These government people love their folders. Karen waved me further inside into a private room. Whatever she had received obviously couldn't be heard by others.

"See this?" She handed me a bunch of papers that were stapled together.

"What is it?"

"This is the DNA test I was talking about. That Natasha Rascalov is none other than James Pegorino's neice. She was paid to act as a Russian. James doesn't want you here."

"He's still alive?!"

"Aparently so. And he's pulling every trick in the book to ship you home."

"Why?"

"Wasn't it you who killed Dimitri? That was James' way back to the top by selling all that heroin. And you killed him. He still wasn't able to let that go. He wasn't able to get anything from it."

"Why so long to finally try and get revenge on me?"

"Probably because he needed money to get to you. He must have heard that you were having this trial. It was only a matter of time that your past actions caught up to you."

"So, now what?"

"We play along for now. The more lies we can get out of them, the better. They'll dig themselves deeper and...bam!" She made me flinch when she punched her hand in her palm. "Once we nail them, the judge and jury will really see how you are being oppressed in this country. You are so close, Niko!"

Her excitement was feeding mine as I smiled back at her. The woman knew how to play the right cards.

"So, Mr. Bellic. Are you ready to become American?"

"Let's do this."

Soon we were inside the court room. We had time to spare again, but this time, Karen shuffled through and organized the paperwork instead of going through lines. I kept quiet. My phone vibrated in my pocket again, and before I even looked at the screen, I knew who it was.

Good luck! Knock 'em dead, killer.

She had me laughing to myself as I read. If I didn't know any better, she'd grown more accepting of what I've done. It seemed to me that all that didn't matter. My future with her flashed in my mind before the trial began. Us. Having settled down on a beach house made for two. Preferably that way. I'm too old to have kids now. I'd be almost 60 when my kids graduate high school. We will see.

My mind was snapped from its daydream to see the jury filing in again to get the trial going. I rose moments later when the judge entered and took a seat. He looked through more papers and looked at both sides.

"If there are no questions, shall we proceed with this trial?"

Upon agreement that it was time, the opposing side took the oath and sat in the stand. The opposition did their questions and answers like it was a performance that was rehearsed many times. I would know, I was through it.

Next came the cross examination by my attorney. His questions were all about why they would oppose me becoming an American. Having no other questions, he stood down. It took little time if any as the jury was swayed to their arguments rather than mine. "Natasha Rascalov" was still on the stand when Karen took it upon herself to question her. She held in her hand the folder with the DNA tests. I waited with eagerness as she was about to rip this whole thing open.

"So, Natasha Rascalov. You say you are the daughter of Dimitri?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you say you were only ten years old when Niko killed your father?"

"What's your point, ma'am?"

"You were aware that Dimitri was too involved in the criminal life to even consider having a child?"

"I was born out of wedlock. I am the result of a blind love fest in the back seat of a Primo."

"Yet despite what you said before, you said that Dimitri had a wife? So, tell me. What is the story?"

She began to stutter over her words and I had a huge grin as I thought.

Get her, Karen!

Karen handed the folder to the judge and she prompted him to read it.

"Your honor, that is a DNA test on Miss. Whitter. A college graduate from California. And not Mr. Rascalov's daughter."

Again, the jury and audience did a collective gasp. It was humorous to me. It reminded me of a cheesy American sitcom from the 80's.

"Miss. Daniels. This new information shocks me. A woman posing as someone she isn't."

"She was pretending to be the daughter of Rascalov to help the opposition keep Mr. Bellic illegal and deported."

"Order. Order!" Judge Johnson banged his gavel again as the audience still clamored on about the information that was just revealed.

The opposition shifted nervously on their side. I sat back in the chair as I watched the jury whisper to themselves. It went quiet for a moment. Then, finally, Karen spoke up more.

"Miss. Whitter is the neice of ex-mob boss James Pegorino and I believe that they are trying to keep Mr. Bellic illegal as a revenge plot. Your honor, I won't believe, even for a second, that Mr. Bellic has not done horrible things in his past. But here in America, we do believe in giving our fellow man second chances. It is up to that person to use his second chance the way he sees fit. Mr. Bellic has shown that he is more than ready to become an entirely different person, and he has shown me that I can also be different. It's time to allow him citizenship. He's been waiting so long."

"Miss. Daniels, I do believe your speech, and Mr. Bellic's actions, have defined what America is all about. Not what Mr. Wilson's actions have shown. I believe this case is already closed. I've heard enough. If it is alright with the jury, I'd like to claim Mr. Bellic a full citizen of America, and he will have all the rights as one who was born here."

My body was shooting adrenaline as I waited for the jury talked and argued amongst themselves. This was it. This is what I was waiting for. This case only lasted two days. Hours of examination and cross examinations, papers, proof, and the drama in between cases, seemed to mean nothing to the judge. The proof was the opposing side, and their deliberate restraining of me being able to finally have freedom.

"Your honor, we'd like to ajurn while we find a verdict." A member of the jury said.

"Of course. Take as long as you need."

They all left the room and the judge turned to me and Karen.

"You may take a break as well. As for the opposition, I'd like to have a word with them."

"Thank you, your honor."

Once in the waiting room, Karen met me for a hug. She was unable to hide her feelings this time as she lightly sobbed into me. I passed it as a friendly hug and nothing more.

"I want to thank you for believing in myself. Sharon and I were talking yesterday. I told her I couldn't do this without you. It was just so kind of you to fight for me."

"You're welcome. And thank you for being who you are. You really are a kind man. Sure you have a temper, but you're not quick to it like you were before. I think you really are a changed man. And Sharon is really lucky to have you. I just hope there's a man like you out there for me."

"What about Ethan?"

"He's nice and all, but he's not the one for me."

"I think he is. You just don't see it. You are comparing the men you date to me. I see you with Ethan, and you have a smile that I remember seeing on you when we were together. Don't throw a good thing away because he's not me."

"I guess you're right." She pulled away from me to get something for lunch. Mostly to not get too enveloped in me.

She and I ate together while she watched the news. Of course, it was about my case again. The caption read, "Major turning point in the illegal Serbian case." Some bystanders in the protest were being interviewed. Some from one side, and some from another. There was a young lady saying her opinion on how I shouldn't be here and I was taking American jobs...when I really wasn't. This made me laugh hard on how the news distorts reality. There was a man being reported saying this was all for ratings and that I'm probably not illegal in the first place. Oh, how I wished that were true.

The 3 o'clock hour rolled by when a man entered the room who was looking for us. He spoke that the jury had finally come to a decision after four hours of arguing and counter arguments. I had the feeling of gut twisting nervousness. The confidence I had earlier faded away when I remembered what Karen's employers said. I should never assume anything. I walked through the hallway of the courthouse on razors edge.

A loud explosion took me out of the sort of trance walk I had. People started running in every direction and hid in nearby bathrooms and janitor's closets. Karen took my hand and ran to the court room. What we found was dead bodies scattered all over the floor and blood splattered on the walls and ceiling. It reminded me of the war, coming upon the church with children grotesquely murdered and the killer nowhere to be seen. Victim's from early 20's to late 50's littered the room with no sign of what happened or indication of who did this.

A heavy set guard found both Karen and I standing in the room. We were unable to move. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me back to Earth.

"Did you see what happened here?" He asked.

"No." I felt my throat tighten up with a mixture of emotions. Anger, rage, sorrow, and uselessness from not being able to do anything for these poor people.

"I heard an explosion and I ran here."

My anger was the first to show. I spun around and snapped at the guard for his lack of authority.

"Where were you?! Why the fuck did you let this happen? You're a goddamned guard for fucks sakes! Don't you dumb fucks have scanners for something like this?!"

"Easy there, Sir. This happened so fast. We don't even know it was a person responsible."

"A bomb goes off and you think there was nobody responsible?!" I was in his face. My eyes burned with rage that I haven't felt since the war.

"It could have been a freak accident!"

Without even thinking, my fist coiled up tightly and punched the guard out cold. He wasn't of any use to prevent this from happening and wasn't any use now to help us find the person responsible.

My emotion turned to sorrow when I looked away from the guard to see a young woman streching out her arm beside me. She clasped on to my trousers to gain my attention. I knelt before her as she struggled to breathe. My instinct kicked in and my training as a soldier told me I had to stop the bleeding. I took off my tuxedo jacket and applied pressure to her wound on her chest. She cried as I tried to save her. Her hands shook, but they managed to find her cell phone and dialed her mother's number with bloody hands. Her fingerprints made blood splotches on the screen.

"Tell my mother I won't make it. She'll be nervous." She handed me her phone to me to relay the message.

My voice broke as the mother screamed as she watched the news from her home. I couldn't tell her that she'd never see her daughter again. I tossed the phone aside and tried to keep this young woman alive.

"Tell me your name." I felt a tear form and roll down my face.

"Jackie. Jackie Reynolds."

"Jackie. I won't let you die. You hear me? You won't die here. Not today. You just keep talking to me, okay?"

"You're really a nice guy. If it means anything, Niko, I was on your side the entire time. You had my vote from the beginning. Welcome to America."

She died right there in my arms and I couldn't help but think if Sharon had come today, this would have been her. Dead. In my arms, and there was nothing I could have done.

Then, the uselessness emotion made it's way to my mind. I lost it. Being in the Army numbed me to death and losing friends. Friends that I was able to call brothers. But this was not the case. Now, I cried hard still holding Jackie in my arms. Karen was by my side as I clinged to this woman I never knew.

"We need to leave, Niko."

I knew she was right, but I couldn't help the feelings I had. My harsh reply came without my control, and I instantly wanted to take it back.

"We can't leave these people here! You really are an insensitive bitch!"

My jaw clenched down hard. It was too late to try to hold back my words. Her throat worked and she cried along with me. Not for the reason I had.

"Karen, I am so sorry. You're right. There's nothing we can do."

Karen said nothing to me as she ran out of the room, leaving me alone with the dead. Jackie's phone screached from across the room with the frantic mother still on the line. I stood with fading strength to tell the grieving mother what happened. Even though I didn't even know myself, atleast she knew her daughter was dead and I did the best I could to give her a few more minutes of life. I brought the phone with me and I reminded myself to find the mother to give her the phone. I was sure it had extremely valuable photos of her daughter.

I found Karen still crying just a few feet away from the court room. Police and bomb squad were on their way through the hallway being lead on by a bunch of dogs. They barked and yelped as they tried to sniff out where the bomb came from.

"Hey, I'm sorry I yelled at you." I said, bringing her head up to look at me.

"You are really an asshole."

"I know. I was hit hard with this. I kept thinking if Sharon was here."

"You always think of her! Always thinking with your dick and not with your brain. Thinking when you're going to get the next piece of ass from her. When you are going to get the next blowjob from her. Never about the feelings of others."

This, I know wasn't true, but I kept my words for now. She needed to get this off her chest.

"I know. I am sorry. Please forgive me. You are one of my best friends, and I am glad you're not hurt."

She stopped crying for a moment and hicced a few times. Her eyes glazed with tears as she tried to calm down.

"I'm glad you're okay too." She said finally.

"Let's get out of here. We're no good standing here."

She quickly nodded and we were able to escape with nothing further happening. We stood by her Calvacade to collect ourselves. She immediately reached for her cigarettes and began smoking like a train. My phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Are you okay?! Why didn't you answer my calls?" The familiar voice of my lepi anđeo was in full panic as she yelled into the phone on her end.

"I'm okay. Karen is too. We're outside by the Calvacade. I was too busy saving a life to realize you were calling."

"Don't you dare move. I'm coming up there."

"That's a bad idea. Stay home where it's safe. They have the police and bomb squad in there."

Another explosion near us sent Karen and I flying across the parking lot. I crawled to her to protect her from debris that may still be falling. My body acting as a shield to any glass or stone that could be falling onto her. The debris settled. Nearly missing us was a large glass shard. It landed in front of me, shattering in a million pieces.

"Well, it's the dumb immigrant fuck I've grown to hate."

That voice. It was so familiar. Once the dust settled, the form of James Pegorino himself came from inside the nearly demolished courthouse. The police dogs barked in the distance and shouting of the bomb squad came from all directions.

"I should have known you'd double cross me one day. I favored you. People wanted you dead. Ray Bochino, Phill Bell, even my wife. We all knew you were untrustworthy. But I had a feeling about you. I knew you'd be useful to the organization. The organization I had well intact until you fucked me over. Now look who is getting fucked!"

"If you kill me now, you'll be killed by the squad." My time was nearing its end, Karen's was far ahead of mine. Blood poured from her head. For a moment, I thought she was dead. She snapped back to consciousness when she heard the dog's barking getting closer. She started to panic when she began to realize quickly what happened. I soothed her as I remained on top of her to not be afraid. For one thing, if I were to die, I'd be dying with a friend. I wouldn't be able to see Sharon ever again, and that thought made me inwardly panic.

"Atleast I'll have the satisfaction of seeing you in Hell."

He aimed the rifle at me to end me. I knew as a prisoner in various ways ranging from an Army soldier to a captured citizen, time was of the essence. I formulated questions to buy me time as the police squad drew closer.

"Tell me, James. How did you cause those explosions?"

"You really wanna know before you die? That's not the thing I wanna know before I die. Maybe one last threesome with some college bimbos, but it's your last request. I suppose you are entitled to it."

I half paid attention on how he managed to get materials for building this bomb through security. My main focus was on Karen. I already failed someone today. I was not going to lose Karen.

I heard the words as he spoke, but I didn't believe it. During the court hiatus, he smuggled in the materials by paying off members of security to look the other way. Once he had the bombs constructed, he placed two bombs in two different places. One was in the hallway by the courtroom, and the other was nearby the exit that Karen and I took. He said had no eyes on the inside, so he waited until it was the perfect time to detonate them. Making him the perfect mastermind. I'd like to believe him when he said he had no way of knowing where we were in relivence to the bombs. The last bomb was too coincidental to go off by us when he said he placed them in random spots.

"Is that all you want to hear? Just one last thing before I put this bullet in your dumbfuck brain, I don't plan on stopping with you. I am erasing every last one of you Bellics. I will find your cousin, I will find his floosy bitch of a wife and I will find that maggot neice of yours and I will put an end to that disease."

My rage held in check by the fact that I was defenseless and offenceless. I was paralyzed by his word choice and I still laid on top of Karen. Her form losing consciousness quickly as her skin was feeling cold. I thought of the idea to try and keep her warm with my body heat and I took off my longsleeve shirt. I whispered under my breath to keep her talking to me. Her light voice told me she was losing.

"But what will bring me the most satisfaction will be me finding that dirty dumpster of a girlfriend of yours and watching the life slip away from her as I choke her with my bare hands!"

My rage blinded me as well as numbed me to any pain I may recieve as I lunged myself at Pegorino. The rifle went off and he missed me as my stealth proved too much for the old timer. His reflexes weren't as good as they once were.

I tackled him to the ground and wrestled the rifle out of his hands. The lifeless body of Sharon burning in my mind was fueling my body as I began beating Pegorino to death. He tried to retaliate, but it was one last powerful punch to his skull that did him in. He gurgled one last unrecognizable word and his life was over.

I took hard breaths to come back to myself and lose the barbaric rage that was within me. I ran to Karen who was still hanging on for her life. My body held her off the concrete to keep her warm and atleast comfortable until the police came. All forms of communication were destroyed in that last blast, except for Jackie's cell phone. I'd like to think it was her way of giving me one last chance to save Karen. I dialed the emergency number and within minutes, the paramedics arrived. The police squad was still in the dilapidated building, looking for the survivors inside. The paramedics took Karen to the hospital and left me wondering if I used Jackie's chance to the fullest.

I was taken aside for questioning by the police once they found me. Some tried to blame me for the bombing. My short fuse burned out and I charged at the officer heckling me. Another younger officer held me back. He was more mild mannered than the older one.

"He blames me for the bombing when I had nothing to do with it?! Why the fuck would I kill people before I was so close to getting what I wanted!?" I shouted at the young officer from denying the venting of my frustration.

"He's an old cop with a tiny penis. His wife is threatening to leave him and he is losing his kid. He's not having a good year."

"I don't give a fuck about his problems!"

The young officer laughed at me and that made me realize the first thing he said. I let out a loud laugh as he joined with me. I supposed there were some good officers in this city still who weren't corrupt.

It was much later as dusk set in over Liberty City. The sun turned the buildings different shades of orange determined by the brick color. It was getting little cold for it being August. I thought how good of a gift would be to come home to Sharon after the events that happened just a day after her birthday. It wasn't legal residency, but I think it was better. I used Jackie's phone to call her. She was crying over the phone as she answered the unfamiliar number.

"Hello? Who is this?"

I smiled. Even though she couldn't see me, I was sure I was about to make her day happy again.

"It's Niko."

"Niko!" She hollered. "I thought you were caught in that second bombing! I saw it on television! They had a helicopter circling around and they zoomed in to see two bodies on top of each other. I knew it was you. I heard the bomb and saw it happening. I thought you were dead!" I heard her cry harder.

"I'm okay. Karen is in the hospital."

"I don't care about her!" She cut me off.

"Sharon! That's not nice! I know you two don't get along, but that's not how people show each other they care!"

She stopped her tears. I could tell this wasn't the time to be yelling at each other. Emotions were running wild, and I knew she didn't mean it.

"Niko. I want to see you." She said.

"I'll be home. I want to help these people who are wounded. There are a lot of people in need of rescuing too."

"It's not safe, Niko. There could be more bombs and that bomber is still at large."

"No. He isn't. He's dead. There were only two bombs."

"The news said he's still alive!"

I laughed. Trust the news to give false reports to keep the viewers glued to the t.v.

"No. I made sure he will not harm anyone anymore. He only had two bombs. It's over."

"Then come home to me! I need you!"

I blinked back a tear, realizing that it was kind of selfish making my loved ones worry about me and my saftey. There were plenty of police and paramedics on the scene. All well trained and prepared to help. I did confront the young officer who I instantly became friends with. I told him I was needed at home and he waved his goodbye. Before I left, I gave him Jackie's phone. He'd have more luck in finding the mother than I would. I told the officer to relay a message to her as well. I told him to tell her I was sorry. Sorry for not being able to save her. The young officer nodded and I made haste back home using the Calvacade.

She was standing in the yard outside the condominium with Ethan. I pulled up and she recognized the black SUV as she ran up to my door. It seemed I didn't open the door fast enough as she yanked the door open and pulled me out. She held me tightly. And for the first time in a long while, I felt like I truely belonged. Like I was missed terribly and I was important to someone other than the people I knew. This was what it was like to have a family. People you can count on to be there when you come home after a day like this. Or any day.

"I'm so glad you are okay!"

She kissed me repeatedly on my cheeks between her words. She did pull a little too hard on my back and I felt a strain. My call out of pain made her seize with worry. I had scrapes, bumps and bruises, but nothing major. I suffered worse than this. Karen had it far worse than I did, and I wondered to myself how the hell I was so lucky to still be standing.

"I'm so sorry!" Her hands covered her mouth.

"No. It's okay. I miss the loving. Just be a little easier with it." I chuckled.

"How are you so cheerful?! I thought you were dead!"

"I guess I'm an optimist." I remember Roman saying that a long time ago.

"What?"

"After the day I had, I was the lucky one to come home to loved ones. My second chance." I thought of Jackie.

She nodded after I told her the story of Jackie, understanding what I meant. Ethan came up to me and gave me a hug, fighting back the tears he had for me. I could tell he was remaining strong for Sharon, but he was finally able to show his true emotions.

"I thought you were dead too. I didn't want to believe it, but I had to stay strong. I can't be strong for Sharon and myself."

"Relax, Ethan." I said, remembering his heart issue a week ago.

We went inside and tried to relax each other. Sharon cuddled close to me on the couch, and Ethan sat nearby. These two needed to touch me to assure themselves I was real. Both of them still couldn't believe I was alive, and after I told Ethan what happened to Karen and why she wasn't here, he cried just as hard as Sharon did. He genuinely cared for Karen, and now we were unsure what her state was. I was sure the hospital was working hard to keep her stable.

Soon, we all fell asleep on the couch being comforted by each other's warmth. Just being able to physically touch me was keeping them at ease.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 29

"Midnight fright"

The next day around noon, I awoke with Niko and Ethan gone. I didn't panic. I just felt alone. And I wanted the constant feel and sight of both of them. A gust of wind from the open window blew a note on the table. As it skidded across, I nabbed it before it fell to the floor. I held it and realized it was from Niko.

Sorry for leaving so early. We got a call from the hospital. Karen is okay and is regaining consciousness. She wanted us up there, but you were out cold. Ethan and I will be in room 312 if you want to come.

Your soulmate

Niko

The things I said yesterday about me not caring about her were not true. I showered and dressed with haste and I drove up to the hospital. I couldn't help but feel sorry for what I said as I drove through the streets. I didn't feel like listening to music at all. I just wanted my thoughts.

I finally made it to the hospital after dealing with the heavy traffic again. I couldn't wait to move out of the city and away from the overpopulation. I liked people, don't get me wrong, but the city was not only crowded, noisy, and loud; it had horrible smells sometimes from all sorts of things.

I called Niko, hoping he had his phone on silent to not disturb the other patients so they can visit with their families or rest. His voice responded in a whisper to keep quiet.

"She is in room 312. Try not to run through the hallways like last time." He joked.

This earned a little chuckle from me.

"Seriously though, there are people in here sleeping and recovering."

"She's okay then?"

"Yeah. She needed a bunch of stitches from glass cuts that I couldn't protect her from."

I caught the disappointment in his voice.

"I'm sure you did the best you could and she is glad you kept her safe."

"I guess so. She is sleeping now. She's on some pretty strong painkillers. I worry about her."

"Why?"

I called for the elevator in the lobby after I walked through the expansive parking lot.

"Because she's getting the painkillers. Don't you know she could become addicted to them?"

"Oh, sorry. I just wasn't thinking. Yeah. I see what you mean. Listen, I'm getting on the elevator, I might lose you."

"I'll talk to-...Just be-...okay?"

The service was lost when I pushed the button for the third floor. The ICU was full of busy, fast paced doctors and nurses who worked seemingly around the clock to ensure those who were entrusted to them were kept stable. I took it upon myself to find the room on my own as to not bother the hard working men and women of the facility. I knew the stress coming from them.

I found the room easily enough. Ethan was sitting in a chair in the corner reading a car magazine, and Niko was standing over Karen, holding her hand as she slept. He waved me over to sit next to him. He had fresh tears in his eyes that he tried to hide when he blinked them away. I held his hand, offering support for him while he gave his to Karen. I was enformed from Niko that Ethan needed a break, so Niko asked him to step aside for a bit. He didn't go too far.

"How did you sleep?" Niko asked in a slight crack in his voice.

"Alright. What about you? What time did the hospital call?"

"I slept okay. I had a nightmare about you, and it's too close to me to retell."

I knew there must have been some sort of outburst from Niko this morning. I hoped Niko didn't do anything to my brother as I slept. He seemed to figure out what I was thinking. Probably because he was asked it so many times from so many people.

"No. I didn't attack your brother. The phone was what woke me up about 8:30."

"Did they say anything about her?"

"They had to give her some blood. She'll be okay. The bombs were small and the explosions weren't that strong."

"That's good. Did you find out anything about the people in the courthouse?"

"I know twenty people were saved. They took cover in other rooms. Everyone died inside the courtroom. Including the judge."

"Great. Now what?"

"I'm not worried about that right now."

He directed his attention to Karen, who was now talking in her sleep. We tried to focus on what she was saying. It mostly was moaning. Niko said it couldn't be pain because the nurse administered medicine an hour ago. He focused harder and he looked at me.

"She's saying I love you."

"Who is she talking to?"

"Whoever is in her dream."

The rest of the afternoon was spent just sitting in silence. Once in a while, a nurse or doctor would check up on us if we needed anything and to adjust the IV to Karen's arm. The flow of painkillers was fluctuated from ten milligrams to fifteen miligrams. Niko outbursted once because he thought the nurses had no clue what they were doing. I explained to him that they were just keeping her comfortable. This explanation seemed to appease him for the time being as he slumped back in the chair.

Karen woke up just in time for dinner. The servers brought her tray and Niko looked over it. It was almost like he took over being mother hen to Karen. I just think how he'd be if I was Karen. I guess he was ensuring she got better fast.

"I'm going to go downstairs for fresh air." Ethan said.

"On your way back, get me a soda." Niko reached in his pocket and fished out a five dollar bill.

"Alright."

We were left alone in the room with Karen. She had some strength to talk, but as we were, both of us knew she was becoming more listless. She'd often go off topic talking about a flying unicorn in the room and a clown. It was the painkillers talking.

"Karen, are you in any pain?" Niko asked as he held her hand.

She slowly turned to look at him and gave him a carefree smile and nodded. Her eyes opened up a little wider to look at him more intently. She laughed suddenly and touched his face and tapped his nose.

"You're a funny looking man."

He smiled at her, knowing she was high above the clouds. We'd rather have her that way then be in pain.

The staff informed us that visiting hours were over and we had to go home. We wished Karen a good night and left her to rest. The painkillers she was recieving was reduced a little to prevent her from getting too sick as the night went on.

Ethan gave Karen a kiss before he left her. He hid his tears as he left.

"Good night, clown man." She said. "I realized I called you that earlier. I was not myself, was I?"

Niko cracked another smile back at her before he closed the door. "It's fine. Good night, Karen. Sleep well. We will be back tomorrow."

Niko had the idea to stop off somewhere to eat. A small diner nearby the hospital sufficed. The hospital had food for us, but we all refused their food. The staff was busy enough.

"So, you and Karen.." I began after we ordered.

"Yes. We seemed to make amends. I finally told her she needed to move on from me and date Ethan. She seemed like she was able to let me go."

"Why did you wait so long to tell her?"

"We've been through this, Sharon." He warned.

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't start. Please, I have no energy." He covered his face with his hand while he stirred his coffee to cool it down.

"You were in such a good mood before. What happened?"

"Forget about it. It's nothing."

"You're closing up on me again."

"I said forget it."

I looked out the window a little hurt and to reflect on the whole week. It was one thing after another with Ethan's near death heart attack, then Niko and Karen almost dying in a blast. I wondered what was in for me this week.

Our food came finally after the waitress got our orders right. She messed up on Niko's food and his temper flared up. He slammed his hand on the table, causing our silverware to clank together. I didn't say anything to him. I didn't want it to escalate further. The three of us ate in silence.

The bill came and Niko glanced over it to make sure we weren't overcharged.

"I gotta piss." He said harshly and stood suddenly.

With him gone, Ethan thought it was a good idea to say why he was in a horrible mood.

"Karen's employers came up to the hospital. They said Niko didn't get his citizenship yet. The trial continues next week in another courthouse."

"So, he's pissed off at us?"

"He's not pissed at us. He was so close to getting his citizenship only to get it taken away. They said they're going to try and pin the bombing on him."

"What?!" My shock alerted the entire diner.

"Some slob cop thinks he did it and is going to pin it on Niko. The trial will take longer."

My body shook in anger. I don't know why it was so hard for him to be free. But I soon realized that this trial might not take long. Niko was totally innocent and I was sure this cop was being paid somehow to extend this.

Niko came out of the bathroom to plop down on the booth.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said as he threw $40 on the table. "Let's go."

The two of us followed his order and got into the Calvacade. He was a little reckless as he drove back home. I called his name several times to slow down and drive carefully. It fell on deaf ears as he continued. I looked in the rear view mirror to see Ethan looking out the front window wide eyed.

"For fucks sakes, Niko! Would you slow down! You're scaring Ethan!"

His eyebrows drew close and his jaw clenched down hard. I knew he wanted to say something to me. I dared him to.

"What do you got to say, Niko. Say it."

He slammed on the breaks. Harder than I realized because I had to brace myself by putting my hands on the dashboard. He glared at me amd scared me a little. I tried not to show it.

"Your country is full of rats who only care about themselves! I almost don't want to be legal here if I turn out like them! I'm better off going home!"

He stared at me with anger mixed with frustration. I wanted to tell him he'd be okay. I knew the accusations wouldn't stick. It was the fact that people were making it almost impossible.

"Niko, I am sorry you aren't getting what you want. But you don't need to be so angry."

"I am angry. It's who I am. Ever since the war, I've been that way."

He left the Calvacade, sprinting in a random direction. I tried to follow him, but he was too fast as his sprint turned to a run. I decided to call his phone to talk to him. It went to voicemail. I left him a message telling him we needed to talk. Ethan was still in the Calvacade with the look of worry on him.

"Is he coming back?" He asked when I took us the rest of the way home.

"I don't know, Ethan. I just don't know. He needs to get something off his chest, and he needs to do it on his own. I just wish he didn't. He has us to confide in when he is hurting. I know there is more he's not telling us."

"What more is there?"

"I don't know. But it is plaguing his heart right now. I just need him to confess. For now, let's just let him vent his anger. He will be able to talk about it without yelling at us."

The night was spent back home without Niko. He never called or messaged us on where he was or how he was doing. I repeatedly sent him messages telling him he is welcome to come talk to us to free his mind. The welcome was never taken.

(Niko's POV)

If I had explained to Sharon and Ethan why I ran out on them that night, I would have lost my mind. I didn't want them to recieve any of my anger when they did nothing wrong. It would end up with Sharon crying and Ethan having added stress that he couldn't take.

I found solace at the cemetery where Kate was burried. It had been a very long time since I visited her, and I felt extremely guilty when I never visited in almost two years. There had been visitors though. Cards and flowers from Packie, Mallorie and Roman, and even Jacob. Which I thought was nice of them to remember what I almost forgotten.

The sun was sinking behind the trees and a small breeze drifted along the cemetery as I talked to Kate. Telling her why I haven't been visiting her every other day like I have the past seven years. Occasionally, the wind blew, making me believe it was her soft voice telling me it was alright. I told her I found love. About Mila, about everything she's missed out on. A hard wind blew around the cemetery. I thought it was her gushing about the baby and me being an uncle. I looked at my phone and it had atleast a dozen messages and voicemails from Sharon. I smiled at her worry. I'd have a lot of explaining to do. Her worry made me feel warm inside.

I decided to leave Kate for another time as it was past 10. I called to let Sharon know I was okay and I was on my way home.

"You were at a cemetery for five hours?!"

"I needed to visit Kate. I haven't talked to her in a while. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I am really stressed out over everything."

"Niko, you know I am here for you too."

"I know you are. My heart needed this."

"We need you. Come back home, okay?" Her imparitive tone rang in my ears. I realized that I hurt them when I left without warning or reason.

"I'll be home soon."

"Do you need me to come get you?"

"No. I'll get a cab."

"That's not safe, Niko. Somebody is probably watching you."

"I have my gun. Let them try something. I'll put them down."

She held her voice. I was sure she'd yell at me for carrying my gun again. Her concern came instead.

"Please be safe. We'll see you soon. Volim te."

"Volim te. Keep the door open."

I did finally grab a cabby. All the other ones didn't stop, or they had occupants in it. This cab driver looked familiar. Someone from my past. I kept alert as she asked me where I wanted to go.

"Where to, handsome?""

"Can you take me to Galveston avenue, please?"

I didn't want this woman knowing where we were hiding. Something about her made me think very hard on where I remember her from. It was just a block away and I could walk the rest of the way. And if something happened, atleast it happened away from Sharon and Ethan.

"You got it, sugar."

I kept stealing glances at her when I thought she wasn't looking. Just piecing together where she was placed in my past. She noticed I was looking too frequently and called me out.

"What are you looking at, handsome?"

"Oh, uh. Nothing."

"Don't give me that. You're checking me out. Yes. I am single and I was looking at you when you flagged me down."

"I have a girlfriend."

"Bullshit. So, do you want to party, or what?"

"I told you. I have a girlfriend."

"So, why are you checking me out?"

"I'm not. You just look familiar to me. I was trying to figure out where I know you from."

"All you had to do was ask."

"So, who are you then? What's your name?"

"Anna Faustin. I'm surprised you don't remember me. I remember you."

"Shit. Now I remember you."

"Yes. And it's time for you to come with me."

Of all the things that can happen to me, this would happen. Again, my past actions have caught up to me. I took no chances, and I wasn't planning on going quietly. The car sped by traffic and I drew my pistol out.

"Stop this fucking car!" I growled.

"Put the gun away if you know what's good for you."

"Fuck you. You're not taking me anywhere."

She spun the car around to disorient me. It didn't work at all. I had to hand it to her, she knew how to handle a car.

"Let me out of this car!"

"You're going to see the boss. He's very angry with you, Niko Bellic."

"I don't give a shit!"

I shot through the roof of the car. She jumped in her seat from the sound. I tried to open the door to throw myself from the car that was going atleast 70 miles per hour. The doors were locked, but that didn't stop me. I used the butt of the gun to smash open the window. Glass shattered in my lap and all over the pavement. She spun around again, thinking it worked the first time. Once we stopped, I took advantage and dove out the window. An unbroken piece from the window sliced my leg on my way out. It didn't stop me from running from her. My exit was blocked by a group of Russians holding various weapons. I was trapped. My eyes darted around for any way of escape.

"Hello. Mr. Bellic." A man stepped into the circle. He held a cigar and a bottle of vodka.

I had no idea who this man was, nor did I really care. I just knew I had to escape.

"What are you doing here all on your own? You don't have your girlfriend here to protect you."

I only assumed he was talking about Karen.

"Who are you?" I asked. He had my curiosity. I wanted to know who he was and why he was keeping an eye on me.

"I'm offended you don't know me. Don't you remember your lovely trip to the beach with your pussy on call? I was sure you remembered me from Mr. Faustin's place."

It made sense now. This was the group of Russians that attacked Sharon and I. A lot of good it did them. I wiped out most of that group. But then again, here I was, surrounded by more. These Russians are like cockroaches. I have to cut off the head to eliminate them all.

"All you Russians look alike to me. All dead and cold." I glared.

"I'm hurt at your hostility. All I want is for you to come with me."

"And I'll say it again. Fuck you. I'm not going anywhere with you."

Everything went black from there. I have no memory as to what happened or where they took me. My life was on the line yet again. I should have never left to be alone.

My eyes flittered open to two men and a woman gesturing wildly at each other. It was a heated word battle and I understood every word from them as they spoke. I played possum while they argued. I figured someone would spill some information as to where I was tied up.

"Chto vy delayete, prinosya yego syuda? Vy znayete, chto zdes' vy privlechete slishkom mnogo vnimaniya!" (What are you doing, bringing him here? You know that here you will attract too much attention!) A deep voice said.

"On bespolezen, yesli yego devushka ne zashchitit yego. Pochemu by nam prosto ne ubit' yego seychas?" (He's useless if his girlfriend does not protect him. Why do not we just kill him now?) Another voice said.

"Potomu chto on slishkom mnogo znayet. U nego yest' otvety, kotoryye ishchet boss. Eto slishkom dolgo, chtoby eta okhota zakonchilas' bez nagrady." (Because he knows too much, he has the answers the boss is looking for, it's too long for this hunt to end without a reward.) A feminine voice said. I was sure it was Anna.

"Viktor vsegda gotov k nasiliyu, my podozhdem, poka on ne prosnetsya." (Victor is always quick to violence. We'll wait until he wakes up.)

"YA nenavizhu eto zdes'. Slishkom kholodno. Nadeyus', etot balkanskiy idiot skoro prosnetsya." (I hate it here, it's too cold, I hope this Balkan idiot will soon wake up.)

"Yesli by vy ne udarili yego tak sil'no, my by poluchili otvety pryamo seychas." (If you did not hit him so hard, we'd get the answers right now.)

"YA sil'no udaril yego, chtoby on ponyal, chto on pod nami. On skoro poymet, chto on tozhe nichego ne znayet." (I hit him hard so he knew he was under us, he would soon understand that he is nothing either.)

These two were stalling. I wasn't getting too much information from these morons, so I decided to chime in.

"Troye iz vas dolzhny byli utonut' pri rozhdenii." (The three of you should have been drowned at birth.) I coughed out.

"Ah, so. The little bitch can speak finally."

I kept silent again. The less I said the better. I overheard they wanted answers from me. For what, I didn't know.

"So, Niko Bellic. I believe you have some information about Ray Bulgarin's money. Where is it?"

This shit again? These people kidnapped me to find out what happened to the money when I had nothing to do with it. It was beyond my power to save that money. I would have drowned getting it.

"I tried my best to get it for him. What you don't seem to understand is I can't breathe underwater."

My words earned me a slap on the face. What I didn't know was the real torture was coming. A huge chest full of weapons and knives made its way to me. I only stared at the weapons and the users. I was prepared for this. They wanted answers, and I gave them it. It must not have been what they were looking for. They were either getting the information out of me, or they'd kill me.

"We will ask again, where's the money?"

"Will you people listen! I don't have it! It sank with the ship!"

Anna ordered her men to hook up a high voltage machine. She bent down to look me dead in the eye. I scowled in defiance back at her. She stole a kiss from me.

"What I am about to do to you is fun to me. I've been looking forward to do this to you." She said as her men began to rip my shirt open and stuck electrode pads on my chest. She raked her fingers along my chest. I looked away from her, not wanting what she was doing to me. My body reacted as any other man's body would. The man named Victor powered up the machine and it whirred to life. My heart was beating erratically, but I remaimed calm on the outside.

"Are you some sort of dominatrix or something? Are you getting jollies from this?" My voice was hoarse as my arousal was showing. I tried to fight it back.

"I must admit, Bellic. You are a very attractive man. Just the sight of your bare chest has got me going. If things were different, who knows. It's too bad. If you don't give me what I am looking for, you're going to die."

"I can give you what you're looking for." I purred. I wasn't able to keep my erection hidden any longer. It was obvious as it made my trousers tighter as it snaked down my leg. I formulated a plan to use it to my advantage. This was a plan in the works, and I hoped to God it worked.

"What's that?"

"What you are looking at. I can give you myself. I'm sure you're wondering what I am like in bed." I was working my charm. To me, it seemed to work. She was blushing.

She gestures to her men to take off the conductor pads. They ripped them off pretty hard, and I grunted as some of my chest hair was removed.

She was whispering amongst her group. The men were inaudable as they mouthed their answers. I got the jist of what they were saying. Anna wanted to be alone with me. Just what I wanted.

"You have my interest, Bellic. Show me."

"You'll have to untie me."

She motioned for her men to leave. She and I were left alone in a giant walk in freezer of some sort. I looked around quickly. It was sealed shut from the outside.

"Kiss me." She demanded when she sat on my lap.

"Can't we go somewhere else? I think you'll be able to understand what I am capable of."

"What's wrong with this?"

"It's cold. I can't get it up."

"I think I can help you."

Shit! That didn't work.

She unbuttoned my trousers and found my balls. She was rather hasty bringing me out and toyed with me, trying to get me more erect.

"This isn't exactly romantic. There's certainly nothing romantic about you rushing me to get a hard on."

Plus the fact that you're really unattractive. I thought.

She brought her pistol to my head to warn me that she was watching me. She began to untie me. My chair was tipped over and I was knocked back with it. She put her foot on my groin and aimed the gun at my head as if to keep me in line.

"Try anything, and this bullet will drill through your skull. Got it?"

"I got it."

She let me stand up. The gun now pressed on my temple as I began to undress her slowly. She moaned my name as I rubbed her nipples through the fabric of her tank top.

She was distracted enough for me to begin my retaliation. My hand grabbed her wrist that held the gun and I managed to get it from her hand without her firing off an accidental shot.

"Don't do anything stupid, Bellic. I should have known you would try something on me."

"Of course I would. Now, if you'd be so kind, open the door and let me out."

"My men will shoot you down. They are just outside."

"Even better."

She cocked her head to the side, waiting for me to elaborate on my plan.

"You are going to just let me go free. You are going to say that you and me are going somewhere else. Then, I'm going to run for it."

"And if I don't?"

"I will kill you."

She swallowed hard as she tried to work her way out. I saw right through her plans.

"You have the gun. They will shoot you."

"I'll hide it. You're stalling. Let's go."

I twisted her arm around her back and made it look like she was leading me on to somewhere. The men were confused, but they allowed it with watching eyes. She clearly ran this operation.

I lead her out the door where my freedom was certain.

"Anna, gde on tebya zabral?" (Anna, where is he taking you?) The last guard asked. I took quick stock of the situation before me. He held a rifle and he was roughly 6 foot tall. Medium build with a missing ring finger. An easy opponent.

"On vedet menya k den'gam. Khranite sklad v otklyuchennom sostoyanii." (He is leading me to the money. Keep the warehouse on lockdown.)

"Speak English." I warned.

This did not bode well with the guard. He had a suspicion something was not right. He proceeded to follow us to a car. A black Benefactor Schaffer was waiting for me to use. I didn't care what it was as long as it could get me out of here in a hurry. The gunman sat in the back behind me while I drove. Anna was in the passenger seat. I would have to plan this as I went along again. Perhaps driving this thing off into the river would work.

I drove slowly, looking for a surefire way to abandon the car. Mohanet avenue didn't exactly lead into the river. But it was the only way I could do it quickly without driving around all night. They would get suspicious that I would.

I was lining up the car. I punched the gas and the g force pushed both occupants back in their seats.

"What are you doing!? You're a madman!"

Before the gunman aimed his rifle back at me, I flung the door open and rolled along the pavement. The car drove off into the river. I watched as I saw the taillights dissappeared below the pavement. I ran as fast as I could to look for a car to "borrow". A nearby beige Albany Primo sufficed. I felt around in my pockets for my cell phone once I hotwired the car and drove off. The bastards stole my phone. It was 3 am indicated by the radio clock. Sharon was probably a panicked mess.

I relaxed a little once I began to think nobody was following me. The car gave me some cover, but I had a feeling someone soon was going to spring an attack. I held the gun I stole in my hand.

I circled around the condominium complex to be extra sure there was nobody in the area. I drove slowly with the high beams on to look for any sort of movement. There was a family of raccoons that scurried away from a dumpster. All was clear.

The lights were off as I pulled up in the driveway. Nobody was on the front lawn, and when I went inside, there was nobody awake. I hoped they were alright.

I found Sharon fast asleep on the bed. She must have been assured that I would be home when I said I was, and went to bed. She had no idea what night I had. And I preferred it that way.

I cleaned up my wound. It was atleast nice of them to patch up my cut on my shin. Sharon would wonder what happened to my leg, so I guess I'd still have to tell her. With my leg properly bandaged and cleaned, I threw on a clean shirt and shorts. I snuggled close to her. Her body wash and shampoo filled my senses and I dozed off quickly.


	32. Chapter 31

This story has been pretty flat lately. I read through it before submitting to see what I can add or delete. I am almost satisfied with how this chapter came out. Towards the end of the chapter, it gets pretty intense. It's becoming a bad habit.

Chapter 30

"The past caught up"

To my surprise, Niko was fast asleep beside me. It was so adorable how he was sleeping. He was on his back with a pillow over his head. He must have been bothered by the light that was creeping closer to his face. The thing I found odd was his groaning deeply. He must have been having a nightmare. I examined his body and saw he had an erection. I giggled at him. He was having an erotic dream. I got the idea to please him while he slept. The blankets went to the foot of the bed. His shorts did nothing to hide the erection. I eased him out, whispering to his sleeping body. My mouth teased him as I sucked lightly on his head. He moaned deeply at this. In a rush to please him more passionately, I took him in as far as I could take him. I gagged a little when I went too far. What I didn't realize was him waking up and slapping both sides of my face with his hands, prying me off and throwing me off the bed. He looked horrified as he moved over to me and began to attack me.

"Niko! What are you doing?!" I coiled myself into the fetal position to block his punches. They were very painful.

"Niko! Stop it!" I cried.

I saw his eyes. They looked like he was going in for the kill. I rolled out from under him when he wound up for the finishing punch.

"Why are you attacking me?! That hurts!" I already had bruises forming on my face and arms. He didn't stop his assult.

I ran for my phone and called Roman. He'd help me. Ethan heard me screaming and he found me in the corner of the bedroom with Niko slowly approaching me. He lept on top of Niko from behind and wrestled him down to the floor. I used my body to hold him down as well.

Roman eventually answered his phone. I told him I needed him to help me. Unfortunately, he was busy with Mila and couldn't come. There was only one other way I could get him to calm down. He squirmed underneath us as he tried to get his attackers off. I used my voice to get inside his head. Shouting wasn't helping.

"Niko. I know you're in there. Wake up." I whispered. "It's tvoj slatki anđeo sa neba."

He listened, but he still was trying to get up. Ethan pushed down harder to keep him from attacking.

"Ethan, get off. I think I can get him to calm down faster if you stop fighting him."

"He's going to attack you!"

"No he won't. Let him up."

He hesitated at first for a few minutes. Then, he slowly lifted his body off. It was all it took for Niko to grab Ethan by the arm and swing him around. I caught him when he threw Ethan at me. Both of us crashed into the wall, putting a hole through it. Thankfully, it was the other side where the neighbors weren't.

"Niko. Relax." I said as I stood up.

Ethan was ready to defend if he charged again. He was breathing hard and he was still tense. From past experiences with his terrors, he looked like he was gradually coming back to himself. I approached him cautiously as he stood upright. It wasn't an opposing posture, but one that looked like he was warning us to stay away.

"Zar se ne sećaš, Niko?"

"I can't recall who you are."

His reply scared me. Could his terrors be giving him memory loss? I prayed it was temporary.

"It's me, Niko."

He looked at me. Not recognizing friends or foes. I think he was remembering. If we didn't attack him, he'd see us as friends.

"I remember you." He whispered after a while.

We stood where we were and waited for his next move. I know he noticed my bruises on my face.

"Did I hit you?"

There was no use lying to him. It only would hurt him more.

"You did. But it's okay. You had another night terror."

"This is getting out of hand. Out of control. It is happening more frequently." He said just after I spoke.

"What was your dream this time? Do you remember?"

"A little too well. It still burns in my head."

I moved to him and grabbed his hand. His body was numb as I asked him to sit on the bed. I wanted to make sure he didn't run again.

"I was basically being raped."

"Basically? What happened?"

He looked to the floor. Not trusting what he should say for it was feeling real.

"It happened yesterday."

"I know. You had a nightmare last night."

"Yes. But it really happened."

He brought me into his embrace and rested his head against my belly. My arms wrapped around his head while he spoke.

"I was supposed to come home like I said, but I was kidnapped. By the cab driver. I tried to escape. It was no use." He paused his story. He took a deep breath and waited for my questioning. I wanted the whole story first.

"I cracked the glass and lept out of the car." He lifted his leg to show me his wound. The bandage was removed, and there was a long deep gash streching from his knee to just above his ankle.

I gasped at the sight of it. It was bleeding again from the fight. I ran to the bathroom to bind his leg before more blood got on the floor.

"I ran away, but I didn't get too far. Some Russians had me surrounded with rifles. I blacked out after that. I woke up in a warehouse in a walk in freezer." He winced a little when I continued to wipe the blood from his leg.

"Why did they take you there?"

"Do you remember that day we were attacked at the beach? It was the same group of Russians who attacked us who got me. They were watching and waiting for me to be alone. The opportunity came when I hailed a cab."

"Yeah, but why are these Russians after you? Is this about your trial?"

"This has nothing to do with the trial. This has to do with what I did after the war. I was in charge of a lot of money being transported to a man called Ray Bulgarin. The ship sank and the money was lost with it. I swam for my life. It should have ended then. Most of my life was spent running away from him. He followed me the whole time. Just when I thought I was safe, he found me. He had a network of people working for him. It was only a matter of time when he'd find me next."

"You told me this when we started dating. You said these Russians were killed. Including this Ray Bulgarin."

"They reformed under a new boss. Remember Mikhail Faustin?"

"You mentioned him."

"His daughter reformed the Russian mob. She was Bulgarin's niece. These Russians were all related in some way. She was going to torture the information out of me about the lost money. She was getting a little hot and bothered when her men stuck electrode pads on my chest. I can't believe she was enjoying the idea of torturing me." He gathered himself again before he continued. "I was thinking of a way out when she commented how attractive I was. I used that to my advantage."

"Don't tell me you fucked her."

"No. But she tried to get me in bed. I wasn't sure where there was a bed in a warehouse. Any chance I had to get out of that building, I took. I was trying to get her alone. Taking on multiple people was too difficult."

"So, what did you do?"

"I wanted to decoy her. Once she saw my erection, I knew she would be easy to trick. I didn't want her at all. "

"She saw you?! Why did you even have an erection?!"

"She was rubbing on me. I didn't want her, but she was getting me turned on."

"Niko!"

He looked away. He just dug himself deeper.

"I'm sorry, but if I worked on her, she'd let her guard down. I promise you, she didn't touch me after that."

"But she saw you!"

"Alright. I am a typical man. I swear I didn't want her. I love you. You have to believe me. What I did was to get out alive."

I tried to understand his reasoning for his plan.

"Once she was distracted, I was going to run. It didn't work because she said there were men outside and they'd shoot me down. I managed to get the gun she had and I used it against her. I got past the men inside. There was one last guard outside, but he got too suspicious and went with us in a car. I drove the car off into the river and stole the Primo to get home."

It added all up. Not one word was a lie. I still didn't like the idea that this chick was able to see him erect. I guess he did what he had to do. Which he has been saying all this time when we were together.

"Alright. I understand."

He nodded his thanks, but I told him he didn't need to thank me just trying to survive. He was an expert at getting out of those hostage situations after all.

"But now, they are regrouped and out for me again. I can't be alone anymore."

"What if Karen arrests them? She's got the power to."

"With her in the hospital, they are bound to strike again. I don't think they know where we are yet."

"What if we call the agency to send another to protect us?"

"My phone was taken. I'm sure they hacked it by now."

"All the more reason to call immediately!"

I began to get nervous. The threat of these Russians finding out where we were hiding was never greater than this. Niko told me he doesn't remember the phone number and Karen would be the one to make the call. That meant we needed to take another trip to the hospital. We were sitting ducks in the condo, so Niko gathered some "essentials" and sat in the car he just stole. He said the Russians would recognize Karen's Calvacade since they were watching the home. Plus, it wasn't as flashy and it kept a low profile as we snuck up to the hospital.

Once inside, Karen was caught up on the situation. It was a good thing she was awake. She called her employers and informed them we needed another place to stay.

"Perhaps it is safe for you to stay here for the time being. They won't attack in public." She said after her long phone call.

Her connections were working diligently to find us another place. We were going to be flown in by helicopter to another house far away from the city. The trial was next week and that meant we all needed to be in the courthouse to prevent being picked off. It sounded foolproof, but I was expecting anything to happen.

"Why did you go off on your own?" Karen asked.

"I don't know." He looked away. He was angry at himself. "I just wanted to be alone. I wanted to see Kate. I didn't want her to think I forgot her."

"Niko, there is a time and a place for things like that. I am sure Kate understands why you haven't visited her. She lived with a bunch of criminals. She knew what sort of trouble you ran into."

"That doesn't excuse me from visiting her."

All this talk about cemetery visits made me realize it's been a while since I visited my grandmother. I could just hear her now. Asking me why I decided to throw myself into this way of life. She was underatanding, but she always wanted what was best for me. This was certainly what was not best for me by any normal standards.

Karen and Niko exchanged words for a long while. Ethan and I sat out of it in the corner of the room. We held close to each other.

"Thank you for saving me from Niko." I whispered.

"You're welcome. Are you alright? He was hitting you pretty hard."

"I'll be fine, but my heart hurts."

"Your heart?"

"I don't know how long I can keep being with him. All I wanted to do this morning was to please him. To surprise him."

"You know you shouldn't wake him up. He's told you to not wake him up."

"I didn't know he was having a bad dream. He-" I didn't want to give too much information about his personal business.

"He what?"

"Nevermind. You don't want to hear."

"No, I do. What did he do?"

"He was having a dream. A dream he was being raped."

"What?"

"He must have thought we were the ones raping him."

"You keep saying you can't date him anymore. You two are so happy when you're together. Why do you keep doubting what you have?"

"Did you see the way he looked at me? At us? He looked crazy!"

"Sharon, he doesn't mean to attack you. If you leave him, you'll crush him. You're his last chance at happiness. True happiness. He wants to hold onto you."

"He said that?"

"He told me when he talked to me. He said he can't imagine life without you. Stop pushing him away."

"I'm not!" I said a little too loudly. This gained the attention of Niko and Karen. They were in their own conversation to listen to ours.

"Not what?" Niko asked.

"I'm not...hungry."

"Oh, well that's good."

Ethan looked at me. He suggested with his eyes I should tell him how I really feel instead of keeping it to myself. It would lead to relationship problems if I kept sweeping conflicts under the rug.

"I'll tell him later." I whispered.

The nurse came in and checked on Karen. She asked if she can get us anything. We all declined offers again. Then the doctor came in and handed Karen some papers. Niko glanced over the papers. They were working on discharging Karen tomorrow. Someone believed she recovered.

"This says someone wants her discharged. Can't we refuse that?"

"It's okay, Niko. I'm sick of being here doing nothing. I want to leave."

"But you've been here a few days! There's no way you're well enough to go home!" He yanked the papers from her hand. "Let me see these."

He turned away from her to avoid her snatching them back.

"It says your employers want you discharged! This is bullshit!" He tore the papers to shreads and used Karen's phone to call the agency. The display of anger frightened the doctor and nurse away.

"Hello! I need to speak with one of Karen Daniel's contacts!" He demanded.

"Niko, don't say anything stupid!"

"What's stupid is forcing your discharge when you're still not well."

He was put on hold as he paced back and forth in front of her bed. We all watched him as he glanced repeatedly at the clock.

"Those fucks hung up on me!" He said after ten minutes.

"Because they know my number. I'm fine, Niko. Really." She moved to the side of the bed. He watched her grimace a little and she put her feet on the floor.

He shook his head at her stubbornness. He knew hers because he was just as stubborn.

"Alright. We will see how you do."

We apologized over and over to the doctor as he re-wrote the discharge papers. This time they were under Karen's power and not her employers. This made Niko feel a little better. She was to he discharged tomorrow in the afternoon. She packed up her hospitality bag and soon, dinner was served. The staff shooed us away, having no patience left after Niko yelled at them before. We left her alone again and rushed home.

"Wait here. I'm going to scope this place out. Don't you dare leave this car until I say so." He said when he pulled up in the driveway.

He had no weapons, but he bravely went in without looking back. He searched for anyone hanging out inside the condominium for us to return. Both of us waited at the edge of our seats. Eyes glued at the front door. It seemed the coast was clear. There was no movements inside.

He waved us inside almost twenty minutes later. He really did a thorough search.

"Who's this guy?" I asked when I met eyes with a new man. He had on a suit. He looked much older than the men Karen's contacts have been sending.

"I am Jared. I've been sent to protect you."

"You're the guy Karen is talking to all the time about relocating us."

"Yes. If you'll come with me, there is a helicopter waiting to take you all to another location for the time being."

"What about Karen? She can't fly in her condition."

"She'll have to stay here. You three are in danger. The Russian mafia are on to you and know where your condominium is. They plan to attack soon."

We gathered up our things again, leaving nothing behind. Jared was nice enough to help us load up a white Declassee Moonbeam in the back of the condo. Jared took the wheel and drove off with all three of us inside.

"Where are we going?"

Jared looked around as if he was planning to set us up for an ambush. I still was really nervous.

"Hello?" Niko asked again once he didn't get an answer.

"I am looking for the helipad. We landed away from any main streets in a field. We're almost there. I am looking for an orange flag."

It was getting dark as we continued to search for the flag Jared mentioned. I saw Jared try and look at landmarks as if to recall where the helicopter was.

"I remember this, but it wasn't where we left the chopper."

"What's going on? Are you lost or trying to set us up?"

"I understand your distrust. Believe me when I say there was a chopper near here."

The open field where Jared claimed the chopper was suspiciously empty. We heard the wind blowing around and nothing else.

Jared got on the phone and called the employers as to where the chopper went. I stood in front of Niko for warmth. He instinctively wrapped his arms around my body to share his heat.

"I think this is a set up." He whispered in my ear.

I raised goosebumps at this. My mind was elsewhere.

His arm went searching for something as I watched Jared get very animated during the phone call. He did start approaching us with his phone still up to his ear. In a flash, Niko turned a gun on Jared, causing him to drop his phone.

"Hold on! I am not trying to set you guys up. You have to believe me."

"Who were you talking to?!" Niko demanded.

"I was talking to Frank. He was in charge of dispatching a chopper. Apparently it was stolen."

"How could someone steal a helicopter?"

"You've stolen plenty. I'm sure."

Niko threw his arm down and made a grunt of anger. He got him there.

"So, what is the plan now? We're sitting ducks."

"Frank is calling the pilot know to see if he's okay. We should just head back to the condo."

"In case you didn't know, there is a bunch of angry Russians after us who have an idea where we are."

"We have no choice. Unless you have a pile of wood you can pull out of your ass to build a hideout, I suggest you chill the fuck out."

This man was mild mannered up until now. Whatever buttons that needed to be pushed to piss him off, Niko sure found one.

"Okay. Let's all chill the fuck out. We're still on edge." Ethan spoke up.

We soon found ourselves back at the condominium with Niko sitting on a barstool, taking night duty voluntarily. With a pistol from his duffel bag in hand, he wearily waited for the Russians to strike. I checked up on him throughout the night every two hours. He passed me off, telling me he was okay and I should be asleep. I didn't really tell him I couldn't sleep at all. I was sure he could read it on my face. The night was cold, and for some reason, Jared wanted it to be cold. He said if we kept the furnace on, it was a give away that we were home. I was covered in two fleece blankets as I crawled back into bed.

(Niko's POV)

The morning came with no sign of any disturbance. The only noise was Sharon checking up on me one last time to give me one of her blankets to keep me warm. The clock on the stove showed that it was a little after 8 am, and I heard noises from the other room. Jared was awakened as well as he crept into the room where Ethan slept. Somehow, a raccoon made its way inside by gnawing at the window. The racoon was easily shooed away and I scolded Ethan for leaving the window open.

"I like fresh air when I go to sleep."

"We can't afford to make stupid mistakes, Ethan. Please be more careful." I pleaded.

"Okay. Sorry."

I found my post and continued to watch for any movement outside. Jared's phone beeped with a message and he answered it immediately. As he read the message, his face drew to a frown.

"What happened?" I asked after he sent a reply message.

"The pilot has been killed. His body was left in the field where we were."

"Who killed him?"

"No doubt the Russians. They stole the helicopter for some reason."

"Probably to watch us from the air. We're in deep shit now."

"We need to move as soon as possible. Wake everyone else up."

Before I even moved a muscle to either room, gunfire erupted. Breaking glass, shattering the wood doors, and ricochetting off the floor. I was familiar with the repeating fire and the bullets that remained on the floor. My pistol was no match. The only choice was to run.

By the second round of gunfire, which was only seconds after the first, Sharon and Ethan were panicking. No amount of words could calm them both down. I told them to go one by one into the Moonbeam when the chopper was making its rounds. I kept watch and signaled when it was going around the front and the occupants were reloading. First was Ethan. He crouched low and stayed on the opposite side of the pilot's sight. He opened the door just wide enough to get in and shut the door. The interior light turned off just in time as the chopper was making its way back. A third barrage of bullets struck the house.

"Sharon, you're next. Wait for my signal." I said, looking above to calculate where the chopper was headed next.

"What about you?"

Her eyes were on me. I felt them. I didn't look at her back to watch.

"Are you coming with me?"

"Go!" I shoved her to the door. The chopper was turning around and they were reloading again for another wave.

"Come with me!" She screached over the chopper.

"I said go!" I shouted.

Jared moved her away from me to lead her out. She struggled against him a bit, but he did get her out. The chopper circled around again. I was timing it.

"What are you doing?" I asked to myself trying to figure out their plans.

There were no more bullets, and the chopper remained stationary in the air. I squinted my eyes to see what was going on, but with the bright morning sun, it proved more difficult.

"Bellic! Get out of here!"

My focus was at the door where Jared stood.

"They have a rocket launcher on there!"

"Fuck!" I shot up and darted inside the van just as the rocket was fired.

Jared started the van and backed up far enough to dodge the explosion. It was just enough, but the windows on the van blew out and spun us around. Jared maintained the van, keeping it on the wheels. We were being chased from above. There were no more bullets, but they had something more destructive aboard.

"Watch my ass! They are trying to blow us up! Bellic, tell me what to do to evade those rockets!"

I crawled in the back as another rocket was headed our way.

"Right!" I shouted.

The van threw me around as he evaded the rocket.

"Left! Left!"

A rocket got a little too close and pushed the van forward.

"Left again."

"I can't! She's cut out. We need to stop!"

"You want us to run!?"

Soon, the van slowed down enough for Jared to look around.

"We're near a freeway. We'll have to borrow a car."

We all took off on foot and headed to the freeway. It was busy already with people headed to work. The rockets stopped for the time being to not hit any innocents. There was a blue PMP 600 headed our way. The driver was pulled from the seat, and we all sat inside. The chopper was watching our every move.

"We gotta find cover. I know just where to go." Jared said as he floored it.

I was on the edge of my seat as we had a few close calls with traffic. Had I been driving, we wouldn't really have to worry. I still kept my eyes on the chopper as it taunted us by flying low and increasing altitude. They were trying to get us to fight back. It worked. I fired the pistol back at them, and the chopper went out of range. It still managed to keep us on point with the other cars.

"We need back up! Send back up!" I heard Jared say over the helicopter that was now at its lowest point.

"We only want you, Bellic! You're risking the lives of your loved ones! Give up!" The pilot called over the radio.

I stuck my head out the window and looked at the four bodies in the chopper.

"I'll give you this!" I threatened and shot back with my middle finger in the air.

"You're not making this easy!" The pilot called back.

"Easy, Niko! We have back up on the way. We need to hold out for a few minutes."

"Who's coming?"

"Kevin. He's our other pilot and he has our protection on the way!"

"Where are you taking us?"

"I'm going to take us under the street. We're going on the tracks."

"This is the LCPD! Stop your vehicles now!"

"Great!" Ethan said. "Now the bacon is after us!"

"No. They're after the chopper. They are shooting at them!"

"They think they are attacking people?"

"Looks like it. I'm sure we're on their list too, but we aren't threatening right now."

The PMP 600 was pushed to the maximum speed as we looked for a place to bail. The chopper was busy dealing with police and that allowed us to slip away. We found a parking garage and parked underground and stayed for a while.

"It's a bummer all our stuff was blown up." Ethan said.

"The Moonbeam blew up?" Jared asked.

"Yeah, man. Didn't you hear it? There was a fire in the engine. We have nothing again."

"Shit. I guess we'll rely on the PMP now."

We sat in the car for the time being to give us a cool off period. I suggested we grab another car to allow us more secrecy. The Russians were sure to be looking for a blue PMP now. My eyes found a Turismo. It was fast, but it only had two seats. Jared found a grey Karin Intruder. Granted it wasn't as fast as the Turismo, but I guess we didn't need speed. Jared asked me to smash open the window. Apparently he hurt himself during the get away and asked me to drive around while he made more phone calls.

Arbitrary driving on random streets gave us the time we needed to have the agency locate us another place to stay. It was practically in the ghetto. The apartment towers looked weather dated and there were a bunch of bricks missing. Another charming place.

The keys were handed to us when we got there, and we made our way inside on the 13th floor. The agency had already started the leasing. It was going to be a temporary place. The agency told us they were looking for a new place farther away from Liberty City. I wondered why nobody ever questioned where this money was coming from, or how the hell they were even able to accept the leasing agreement when there was no one around to sign. I didn't think too much into it. I figured as long as someone flashed money in someone's face, it was all it took. I know, I was the same way.

"Yeah?...You found somewhere?...Where?!...Ohio?! That's too far away!...I guess you have a point. I'll tell everyone. We will be waiting for the private jet." Jared hung up the phone and slowly looked over to Sharon and I.

"Good news and bad news. Good news is; We have a new place to hide. Bad news; It's in Ohio."

"Ohio?"

"More specifically, Cleveland. The Russians won't find you three there. We are waiting for things to settle. It should take abour a week. Then, we are going to move. The private jet will be waiting for us at Francis International Airport, so when I say we need to go, we need to go."

"Why Cleveland? Isn't it worse than Liberty City?"

"In some ways, yes. The only thing that seems to he good about it is the fact the Russians won't find you. But that's enough about them for a bit. I suggest we all rest for the time being."

"Why is it going to take a week to get the jet?"

"The jet is flying in by another pilot. The jet was stationed in France for an operation. We left it there to keep it out of sight. We need to plan our flight route as well to avoid any towers from getting in contact with us. This jet isn't exactly legal."

"What do you mean?"

"It has secert equipment the government only has access to and weapons for defence. We can't screw around now knowing the Russians have a chopper."

The night calmed down eventually. The four of is were starving, but we were all too tired to get anything. Somehow we fell asleep with empty bellies. Jared took the night watch. Sharon and I cuddled close together for warmth. The heater in the apartment didn't work. It was worse than a ghetto apartment. I preferred the motor home over this place. This was the lowest of low. During the night, Sharon and I recieved another body. Ethan sat himself between us.

The morning came with the three of us still huddled together. The September morning felt crisp and it rained hard last night. The ceiling was caving in from the collected rain water. I hoped there was no mold up there.

"How'd you guys sleep?" Jared stretched.

"As good as we could sleeping on the couch. Anything happen?"

"Got a call from the agency. Karen is discharged and is on her way back. She is doing okay. I was worried about her."

"I was too."

"You know, between you and me, I had feelings for her at one point."

"Shit. Really?"

"Yeah. I helped her with a few things of her own one time. She was a new recruit at the time. She had asked me for a few favors, and I saw to it that they were done. It was because I liked her. Then, I find out she was only using me. I lost interest in her months later."

"She is rough around the edges. I know from experience what she is like. I found out how she is the hard way."

"Your buddy Ethan better make sure he knows what he's in for. She could play him too. She manipulates almost anyone she talks to."

"That's from her years of being a prostitute. Looking for a quick fuck buck and hurting those men she slept with. Not physically, but mentally. She's told me how many men fell for her when she worked the streets. She'd show interest in a guy, have this guy buy her what she wants, and basically disappear."

"Now she works for the government playing more than just guys on the street. She plays everyone."

Jared's phone rang just as Sharon slowly awoke on the couch next to me.

"Did I wake you?" She stretched her arms high above her head and wrapped them around my neck.

She sighed contently and pressed her body against mine more. "It was a nice way to wake up with your sexy voice in my ear."

"Now is not the time to get frisky."

"It always is when you're near me."

"Sharon. No. Settle down."

That earned me a frown as a response. She was stubborn and was used to getting her way. I knew I had to make this up to her.

Around 2pm, Karen and three other people came to the apartment. She was heavily bandaged, but she looked like she was on the mend. The other men with her introduced themselves. There was Mark, one of the men responsible for helping me in getting Brevic and a computer programmer. Chris, another client who had been selling cocaine on the streets in Bohan and was recruited not long after myself. Chris was one of the brains at the agency. He was an expert planner and tactical assult planner. Ryan, Chris's brother, who had been discharged from the Army. He was so beligerant that the only use the government had from him was a hard core killer. Not like myself. This guy had no heart at all. Atleast I had some conscience when I killed or spared someone. This guy was our defense if the Russians attacked again. The guy had a truck full of weapons. During the week we were in this apartment, he was "programmed" to protect us. He asked a very heavy price as well. A price the government had no problem paying if they wanted to continue to have his services and to continue to help me.

Karen sat on the couch still recovering from the hospital. She looked at her phone for any updates. Things were basically day by day as the jet was inbound to Francis International.

We remained silent for days with no updates at all. From the jet, to the plan, and about the flight route. The only thing that happened that threw us off was Karen accidentally tearing open one of her stitches when she bent over to pick up something from the floor. Luckily, Ryan knew how to stitch up wounds.

On the fifth day, on a September afternoon, the call came in. The private jet had landed and we had to haul ass to the airport. The eight of us took two cars that were provided for us. We thought it would be a good idea to take two different routes. We arrived first at the hangar and body guards with high powered pistols protected us from any attacks. A few minutes later, the second convoy arrived with no word of attack. I was waiting. Any second and we would be under attack. The tower confirmed our take off and the coast was clear. No signs of any unidentified aircraft, say for one, and we were off to Cleveland.

The flight was peaceful. We all clustered together in our respectable areas of the jet. Ethan, Sharon, and I passed the time whispering amongst each other. Ryan, Chris, and Mark were no doubt planning the arrival into the city. Karen and Jared were sitting close to the cock pit looking over a map of Cleveland.

It was up until close to landing did beeping sounds within the jet alarmed us all and the pilot paged in the cabin.

"Folks, we've been spotted. A black and white Maverick is en route to our location. Prepare for evasive maneuvering."

We all did as the pilot asked and buckled in. Sharon clung to my arm and hid her face in my sleeve, thinking if she didn't see anything, they wouldn't see her. The jet spun around and swung wide as well as tight to lose the chopper. I heard Ethan lose what contents he had in his stomach. I was close behind him. The swift twists and jerking around was throwing everyone into stages of nausea.

"We've been hit! Prepare for emergency landing! There is an open field. Ready the weapons!"

The engines were smoking with dark clouds. The jet powered down and we were gliding down into the Earth with an uncertain outcome. It was minutes that the pilot tried to line up a semi graceful landing. The rudders on the wings provided a little control and we soon made a violent impact. Ryan, Ethan, and Karen were knocked out. Sharon, Jared, Chris, and Mark were shook around in their seats, but they remained strong. I unbuckled my seatbelt and ordered Jared, Chris, and Mark to take up a weapon.

The door opened and a trail of destruction was the first thing we saw. Trees toppled over where they once proudly stood and wild fires threatening to engulf the jet. Sharon gathered the unconscious and drug them safely away from the wreck while Jared, Chris, Mark, and I held off the attackers. We fired back, causing the chopper to back off for the moment. It suffered major damage and was already smoking from the engine as it struggled to keep altitude.

"We need to find somewhere to hide!" Jared said as he continued to fire.

"Where do you suggest we go?! We're in a burning forest!" I said as I reloaded.

"We need to steal that chopper! Snipe down the pilot!"

"He will lose control and crash it! It will be no use!" I spoke from experience on that part.

"What the fuck do you suggest we do, Bellic!? Since you're the ambush and run expert!"

"We take these fucks out! There is no other choice! They want me dead!"

"Why just you?!"

"Now's not the time for stories! Get me that sniper rifle!"

Jared left the front line and searched through the jet. Mark and Chris created a distraction as I slipped away to hide among a few standing trees. Jared found me and handed me the suit case that contained the sniper. He joined in the distraction as I pieced together the rifle. It took me only seconds to assemble. I took a deep breath to slow my heart rate and my adrenaline fuled mind to concentrate. One wrong shot and they could locate me.

The bullet struck true and the pilot was shot out of the chopper. The occupants inside tried to regain control, but the blades got too low to the trees. Shards of wood shot everywhere and the chopper exploded once it hit the ground.

I took another deep breath and looked through the scope to see if there were any lucky survivors. The helicopter held no life and I joined up with everyone else.

"Nice shot, Bellic."

"When you did what I did for so long, there was no reason for failure."

We stayed low for a while so the others could rest and those who were knocked out regained consciousness. We aided those who were injured. My focus was on Karen when she was the first to awaken. Her stitches were torn again and Jared patched her back up again. I ensured she rested and was the first to recieve any water. Such a horrific crash could send her into shock. Sharon was concerned I was paying so much attention to her.

"You have to understand, Sharon. She needs attention first above all. Everyone else is okay. Bumps and bruises was all they sustained. Those who are knocked out just need to rest. Karen, among us standing, is the most hurt. We look out for each other."

"I guess you're right."

"This is how it is for now. Go rest for a bit."

She nodded and layed under a tree for cover. Any one of us who sat in the open was just asking for trouble.

The second to regain consciousness was Ethan. We let him know what happened and to take it easy. His first worry was his sister when he didn't see her right away.

"She's napping under a tree. She's okay." I pointed to where she was fast asleep.

He calmed down and tried his best to care for Karen. He had a bump on his head. Fortunately, there were no broken bones among us.

Lastly, it was Ryan to come around. He attacked himself, calling himself a sorry excuse of a man for not being indestructible. Then he mentally and physically took his rage out on a sapling and tore it out from the roots. It seemed to do nothing to curb his anger. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and began attacking him verbally. I lept between the two before more was said.

"Come on! Don't go turning on one another! We need each other. We are in the middle of a field with no transport and with injured people. We need to move out of here."

They soon apologized and we gathered the injured. I held Karen and acted as a human crutch. She claimed she could walk okay. Ethan was escorted by Mark and Chris. Ryan held his pride and insisted he was fine enough to walk. The bull headed ex Army soldier had a lot to prove to himself that he needed no aide.

"Anyone getting cellphone service? My phone is on roaming." Mark said as he tried to send out a distress signal.

"You'd think the government would have service everywhere." I said as I looked to see how many bars I had. "I have service. I'll call for some assistance."

"Maybe we should stay where we are so they can find us." Ethan said.

"We're only moving away from the wreck. The smoke could give us away."

Ryan used his survival instincts and disappeared to look for wild game. It wasn't a smart idea considering we would have to wait for him when help arrived. He wasn't one to be confronted about problems. And I didn't want to tell him to stay. A fight would break out for sure.

We saw a helicopter circling above about 3 hours later. The search light lit up the night sky in search of the wreck. The smoke from the chopper drew the rescue closer to us. It was the agency for sure and not the group of Russians who wanted me dead.

It landed nearby the wreckage of the jet. The trees were cut away enabling them to land with no difficulty. We all borded, including Ryan, who skinned a young buck for the meat and bagged it for himself. He was really strange.

The chopper lead us the rest of the way. It was packed inside. Some of us had to sit on laps. Sharon had no problem in sitting on mine. Karen sat on Ethan's, and Chris sat on Ryan's lap. We landed on the helipad. There was another Moonbeam waiting for us. This one was more designed as a civilian van as opposed to a government van. We were not attacked and we made it to the new apartment. It was located near the lake which was good. Some romantic plans formulated in my head.

The apartment was decent. It had two bedrooms and a bathroom. The back up we had made their seperate ways. There'd be no way we'd be able to fit all eight of us comfortably in this place.

"So, what next?" Ethan asked.

I thought for a few minutes just to catch my mind up with the time.

"We wait. I am waiting for a new trial. I guess it will be held at the courthouse down the street."

Ethan made no other conversation attempts and decided to turn in. It was after midnight, and after the day we had, I was thinking along that line as well.

"Niko?" Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Hm?" I wearily responded.

"Sorry I've been a pain in the ass before."

"Don't talk like that."

"I risked the evacuation of the apartment. I'm really sorry. And I almost got you killed!"

"How so?"

"A minute later, you could have been in that explosion."

I smiled at her. She was thinking about things that could have happened, but they didn't. She was beating herself up about something that didn't happen.

"And I didn't. It's okay."

She curled up to me on the couch just as I thought of the idea to go to sleep. She was making herself comfortable. I sighed and closed my eyes. It looked like it was going to be another night on the couch.


	33. Chapter 32

Not one of my greatest chapters, but atleast the brain is thinking of ideas.

Chapter 31

"What we've been waiting for"

The fortunate thing about being in Cleveland was we were far away from danger, and the danger that tried to follow us was eliminated. We were sure that the Russians now had no clue where we were. Even I was so confident that there'd be no attacks that I let my guard down last night and fell into a very deep sleep. Sharon was in a deep sleep just as I was.

My phone rang atleast five times. I let it go to voice mail. Whoever the caller was could leave a message. Right now, I wanted to sleep.

A pounding on the door was what made me wake up and answer whoever was rude enough to wake me up.

"Aren't you going to answer your calls? The agency is trying to get a hold of you." Karen said once I opened the door.

My eyes could barely stay open as I stared blankly at her. She handed me her phone with her contacts on the other line. Their voice entered my ear, but whatever they were saying didn't register with my brain. Something about papers.

"Did you hear us? You got your legal residency papers. You're a legal US citizen. How does it feel?"

"To be honest, I'm too tired to care right now."

"Yeah. It will set in once you have your papers. We heard what happened to the jet. Are you all okay?"

"If we're still breathing, I guess we're okay."

"When can you come up to sign these papers?"

"I guess I could come up now. I'm awake. Uh, where can I meet you?"

"We have a sister office about three miles up the road from you."

"I'll call a cab. I will be there when I can."

"You're not bringing your girl?"

I really wanted her to come, so she can share my excitement as I was handed my citizenship. But I figured she wanted to sleep in.

"No. She's asleep."

Hours later, I arrived at the location. It was a small three story building. It was smaller than I was used to. The office was easy to find. Right off the elevator. Karen's contact was waiting for me inside.

"How'd you get here so fast? Weren't you in Liberty City when you called?" I asked when I took a seat.

"I flew in overnight. It was better than flying by day." He handed me my papers and I glanced over them. He was right. The realization hit me and I trembled with immeasurable happiness.

"How did you get these knowing the courthouse was demolished? Weren't the files destroyed?"

"Shockingly no. The judge had them protected in a brief case to prevent anyone grabbing them. A lot of people wanted you to not become legal by any means necessary."

I looked at the social security card. The flimsy paper was just that if it didn't have that nine digit number on it. It was irreplaceable. I also recieved a copy of the bill of rights, a driver's license, and a list of banks that were interested in my money. It was truely a gift that I could not be thankful enough for.

I shook the man's hand and rushed home. I couldn't wait to tell everyone that this part of the story was over. The only thing now was to deal with the Russians. It looked like I was on my own in this endeavor. I still had Karen and her connections, but if I asked a favor from them, they'll hold me to it that I repay them. It may be an endless cycle of favors.

"I have good news!" I greeted to everyone who was sitting in the living room.

"Good news? Spill it, Niko!" Sharon said.

"I am a totally free man! I have my legal documents of citizenship!"

She stood up and the kitchen chair tipped over behind her. She didn't care about it at all as she jumped at me and shared my glee.

"I can't believe it, Niko! Is this real?!" She read through the papers, held the social security card, my driver's license, and my certificate. Just feeling them felt unreal to her. She had gone through this process with me for months. For myself, even longer.

"Yes!" I held her face in front of mine. It was my energy that was feeding hers as I did a victory dance with her still in my arms.

"How did it go so fast?"

"I had the right people on my side. I had the right documents."

"Wait, didn't the courthouse get blown up?"

"I was fortunate. The judge held the papers in a brief case. After the explosion, it was recovered. I guess the judge already made up his mind, and along with the jurors, granted me this. That's what the rush was about. Before the explosion, a member of the jury found me in the waiting room. He was in a big rush to get the session going again."

"Well, congratulations, Mr. Bellic. What happens next?"

I smiled at her. She was quick to move on.

"I plan to buy a house, fill it with memories, and marry you."

She flushed and squealed as she didn't bother to hide her excitement.

"But first, I have the Russians to worry about."

"Why? We can live here! The Russians have no idea you are here."

"They want me bad enough, they'll get to me somehow. It's happened before. I don't want them getting to you either. They kidnapped Roman, they'll get to you. I do not want that."

"How do you plan on taking them all out? Isn't there, like, a whole bunch after you?"

"I'll get them. They are a group, but they lost a lot of their threat throughout the years."

"You're going to go as a one man army and take them out?"

"I don't know. I have a few friends I can rely on. They will help me."

"I won't allow it. We are finally free. Don't poke the hornet's nest again. Wait a few weeks and see if they find you."

"That's not how it works. The Russians can be sneaky and will use other people to get to someone."

"That's not what happened yesterday when they found us with the chopper!" She cut me off.

"Then that's a hell of a reason to take them out. They can be ballsy too."

"I thought you said you didn't want to kill anymore, Niko."

I held my comments atleast for now. I did want the killing to stop. Then, and only then, will I be able to move on. I couldn't just leave things the way they are. My past always comes back and fucks me. For now, I took her advice. I kept low, I didn't answer any unknown phone numbers, and I wanted to relocate to another home. An actual home. Where Sharon and I can call our own and make a go out of what I wanted for so long.

"Alright. I'll do it your way. I'd feel more comfortable if we moved out of this place."

"Do you know of a place?"

"These banks are willing to do business with me." I handed her the list. "Anyone who has the amount of money I have will be able to find a home fast."

"How much do you have?"

"A lot. I'll put money down on a home, and if the bank is interested in giving me the deed, I'll pay in full. Just need to do research on the perfect home for us."

Hours later, after dinner, I was doing just that. Searching for the perfect home for the two of us. There were a few houses I saved. I kept it a secret for now. This was also a waking call to Ethan that it was time for him to move on. He couldn't leach off of his sister forever. I had plans for her.

My searching came to a hault when Ethan asked me what I was doing so studiously in the corner of the apartment. I turned off the screen to avoid him seeing the houses I was looking at. He wasn't really good at keeping secrets.

"I was sending my cousin an e-mail."

"You were doing that for hours. What were you really doing?" His eyes squinted to see through my lie.

"I told you. Roman wants to chat with me. Nothing else."

"Sharon told me what's going on. Why are you hiding things from me?"

"What plans?"

"God damn it, Niko. Stop pretending I'm retarded. You plan on moving out with my sister and leaving me on the street."

"I didn't say that. You have to agree that you can't live with us forever. You have Karen, right? Find somewhere to live with her."

"I can't support her." He calmed down and sat heavily on the couch. The flimsy furniture couldn't handle the sudden force and he fell through the seat. He remained where he was though.

"Why can't you?"

"I am a fucking low life. All I know now is dealing drugs and doing drugs. I have no skills."

"Then get some. You said you were going back to school."

He shook his head. "Nobody will give me a loan. They looked at my criminal history and my low credit score and they declined my application."

"That's not right."

"Will you please help me? I feel awful asking money from you."

I knew I was his last chance in doing what he wanted to do. The guy really was computer smart, and I would hate to see his talent go to waste.

"Let's just figure out where we are going from here."

"I really need a place to stay too."

This must be his way of saying Karen dumped him. I sort of knew it wouldn't last.

"Alright. You can stay with us. Only until you get your diploma. Find yourself a college and I will pay for it."

"Thank you, Niko! I won't let you down. I promise."

With that, he left. I felt like charity, but atleast I knew it was going to where I know it will do the most good.

(Sharon's POV)

Niko and I both woke up in the late afternoon. It was a well deserved rest after dealing with so much. I heard that Niko was willing to loan Ethan money to get back into school. It earned him one of the 'best blow jobs he's ever gotten'. I know some men always say that because as long as something is warm, wet, and tight it will bring them to an orgasm. I explored a little and tested the waters of slight bondage on him using various items that was strong enough to keep him still. He was powerless as I teased him. I wouldn't allow him to cum without my permission. He liked the dominatrix role I played. It was like I was edging him. Each time I thought he was ready, I stopped. Try as he might to stroke himself, his hands were bound. All in all, it was a good night for both of us.

"What is the plan today?" I asked as I threw on a sweater. The fall weather had a slight nip.

"I guess we will take it easy. Provided things don't happen. You know as well as I do, that things might happen." The idea sparked in his head and grabbed his pistol. He held it tightly, reminding himself he had it in case he needed it

"You know, Niko. Not everything needs to be taken as a threat."

"Oh yeah? Do you remember what happened last time I let my guard down at the beach? Even for just a minute?"

"I remember. But we are far away. They can't find us."

"You're naive." He smiled and hugged me close.

"Better than being... high-strung?"

He chuckled. "Being naive gets you killed."

He swayed back and forth with me still in his embrace. His scent was making me go crazy. His close proximity was enough to make me push him to the bed and take him over and over. Even his warmth with the cool afternoon made me really lose myself. He made me forget all the problems, all the pain of life, and made me forget about what he's done. It was just me and him, saying nothing. I closed my eyes for a while. I found I was relying on his strength to hold me up. I was weightless. He was my everything.

The moment we shared was interrupted by Karen. She opened the door without knocking again. She told the two of us she was leaving. She had plans to return to the agency and her part in this was finished. There was nothing more she could provide for him.

"I really can't thank you enough, Karen."

"Save it, Niko." She held her hands up before he could shake her hand.

"What is this about?"

"I am moving on. Saying lengthy goodbyes is just a waste of time."

That was cold!

"Well, alright. Thanks. Say goodbye to Ethan before you go?"

"I am just leaving. He'll turn it into a sob ending."

"Karen! He cares about you! Didn't you say you wanted someone who was able to give you that?"

"That's for the weak."

"Are you on the rag or something?"

This earned a snort chuckle from me and a glare from Karen. I was never her favorite. I didn't plan on starting now.

"I'm leaving."

And with her cold hearted farewell, she vanished. I reflected a little on how we first met. A heavily wounded Niko slung over her shoulder. She did care. Deep down, I know it. But her rough exterior never allowed her to show it.

"Okay. Now Ethan is going to be a mess." I said. "He really did love her."

"I did warn him on how she was. She plays people. She was always like that. He fell in love with the wrong woman."

I scoffed. "I thought you'd show more sympathy for him."

"I do. I can speak from personal experience. I'll go see if he is okay."

I agreed with Niko and we found him sitting in the living room. He did have the look of hurt, but he wasn't crying. In fact, he had a strange look about him. I didn't want to think he was happy he was dumped. He said a few times he really did love her.

Niko and I sat on either side of him. He looked at both of us before we said anything.

"I'm alright. I should have seen it coming. I should have known better. I had no chance with her."

"You had a chance. Karen is difficult woman. She leads you to believe something, but then she blindsides you."

He nodded his head and I could see he fought back a few tears. "Is there anyone out there for me?"

"Of course there is. You need to look for a woman who we don't know."

His phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

"Hello? Who is this?..." His caller was long winded as they explained who they were and what they wanted. "How'd you get this number?" Niko growled. "I will end you if you touch her!"

He rose from the couch and began gesturing erratically. Something was going on. It figured...as soon as Karen left, the shit is hitting the fan.

"Go fuck yourself!" His words were loathsome.

"Niko, who is it?"

He raised his finger telling me to wait a few minutes. As soon as his heated phone call ended, he dialed another number. It took a few attempts to get a hold of whoever he was trying to contact.

"Packie. Why are you so hard to get a hold of?...Well, stop snorting so much and you'll be awake before noon... Listen, I need your help...Yeah, they are after me again, and you're one of the few I can trust...I can pick you up... I'll see you soon."

I looked at him. He was silent as to what he was doing. The only thing he told me was to wait at the apartment until he came back. He grabbed his duffel bag again and I knew what his mind set was. He had to take care of something and for good.


End file.
